m 


U8RARY 


SAN  DIEGO 


TOPSFIELD 

TOWN 
LIBRARY 


1875 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS 


FROM  THE  FRENCH  OF 

% 

CHARLES    BEAUGRAND 


DAVID  SHARP,  M.B.,  F.L.S.,  F.Z.S. 

PRESIDENT  OF  THK  ENTOMOLOGICAL  SOCIETY  OF  LONDON;  HONORARY  MEMBKH  OF 

HISTORY  SOCIETY;  AND  MKMBICR  OF  THK  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
SOCIETIES  OF  FRANCE,  GERMANY,  SWITZERLAND, 

ETC.,   ETC. 


NEW     YORK 
THOMAS    Y.    CROWELL    &    CO. 


13    ASTOK    Pl,ACK 


PEEFACE. 


THOUGH  the  majority  of  mankind  are  firmly  convinced 
that  "  The  proper  study  of  mankind  is  man,"  yet  they 
are  also  generally  disposed  to  admit  that  some  devia- 
tion from  the  various  beaten  tracks  of  existence  is 
advantageous.  Not  very  long  ago  one  of  the  most 
accomplished  of  our  medical  men,  Sir  James  Paget,  in 
opening  a  session  of  the  Working  Men's  College, 
delivered  an  address  on  "  Eecreation."  In  eloquent 
words  he  declared  this  to  be  an  absolute  necessity  for 
our  system,  and  he  laid  stress  on  the  great  value,  in 
this  capacity,  of  hunting  fishing,  shooting,  and  even 
of  games  of  chance. 

There  is  probably  no  change  more  recreative  to  the 
mind  and  body,  fatigued  by  long  continuance  of  daily 
routine,  than  natural  history.  In  its  pursuit,  physical 
exertion  in  the  fresh  air  vies  with  change  of  mental 
pabulum,  and  the  wonderful  variety  of  inexhaustible 
nature  brings  to  the  mind  a  feeling  compounded 
of  astonishment  and  satisfaction  that  is  highly 
recreative. 


IV 


PREFA  CE 


Unfortunately,  few  can  undertake  the  pursuit  of 
natural  history  without  some  kind  of  assistance.  A 
certain  amount  of  book-knowledge  is  found  to  be 
indispensable,  and  yet,  to  the  mind  not  accustomed  to 
them,  preliminary  definitions  and  statements  about 
unfamiliar  objects  are  apt  to  prove  so  dry  as  to 
smother  the  nascent  interest  instead  of  stimulating 
and  encouraging  it. 

The  author  of  this  book  has  endeavoured  to  meet 
this  difficulty  and  to  give  a  certain  amount  of  intro- 
ductory information  in  an  attractive  manner.  Calling 
to  his  aid  the  interest  we  always  feel  in  human 
character,  he  has  attempted,  by  intertwining  this 
with  a  certain  amount  of  more  or  less  authentic 
information  on  natural  history  subjects,  to  produce 
a  book  that  shall  foster  an  interest  in  zoology. 

Without  pretending  that  his  dramatis  personce  are 
equal  to  those  of  Shakespeare,  or  that  his  scientific 
attainments  are  on  a  par  with  those  of  Owen  and 
Huxley,  we  think  it  will  be  admitted  that  he  has 
succeeded,  at  any  rate  "indifferently  well,"  in  his 
task ;  and  his  book,  which  it  appears  has  had  a  con- 
siderable success  in  France,  has  therefore  been 
thought  worthy  of  an  introduction  to  the  English 
reading  public  by  means  of  a  translation. 

The  "  science "  in  the  book  is  but  slight,  but  it  is 
hoped  that  it  will  be  found  sufficiently  interesting  to 
induce  the  reader  to  look  for  himself  or  herself  at 


PREFACE. 


some  of  the  objects  alluded  to,  to  test  by  observation 
the  truth  of  some  of  the  statements,  and  to  seek  in 
other  less  elementary  works  additional  and  more 
precise  information. 

The  classifications  mentioned  in  the  book  are  chiefly 
those  of  Cuvier,  and  though  now  somewhat  old  are 
still  valuable,  for  the  work  of  this  renowned,  savant, 
though  necessarily  incomplete,  was  rarely  erroneous. 
The  translator  has  occasionally  introduced  information 
of  a  more  recent  date,  and  he  has  also  ventured  to  alter 
a  few  passages  that,  in  the  original,  appeared  to  him, 
for  one  reason  or  another,  to  be  defective.  For  so 
doing  he  hopes  he  may  receive  pardon  from  the 
author  and  approval  from  the  ever-gentle  reader. 

D.  S. 


CONTENTS. 


The  reader  is  introduced  to  several  persons  whom  he  will  frequently 
meet  with  in  this  narrative — Doctor  Bob  and  his  son — Mutual 
anxieties — Leon  and  Reue  ;  dissimilar  but  affectionate — The  arri- 
val— Black — The  cottage— The  new  comer  promises  to  completely 
belie  certain  unpleasant  anticipations 


IL 

Disenchantment— What  one  can  do  at  Villers  when  there  is  nothing 
better — A  new  and  peculiar  definition  of  zoology — The  labora- 
tory—Chestnuts without  chestnut-trees — A  new  arrangement  in 
teeth— An  individual  with  3,840  feet— How  to  fish  for  the  launce  or 
sand-eel — A  sea-worm  and  its  mode  of  breathing — Animal  plants — 
A  very  badly  educated  creature — The  way  one  should  adopt  to  grow 
— The  four  branches  of  the  animal  kingdom 


III. 

The  beginning  of  conversion — The  star-fish — A  curious  invasion — A  way 
of  eating  and  a  way  of  running,  by  no  means  proper — Absorption, 
and  afterwards — Numerous  posterity — Animals  that  double  them- 
selves by  division — What  may  be  seen  on  a  shell — An  aquarium  in 
miniature— fairyland  in  a  glass  of  water — What  may  be  found  in 
oyster- water — Uncle  Bob  himself  asks  to  see — Excursion  in  a  new 
world — A  fantastic  waltz — By  what  means  the  infinitely  small 
manage  to  play  an  infinitely  large  part — A  good  thing  from  Michelet 
— The  conversion  becomes  decided 


viii  CONTENTS. 


IV. 

PAOB 

A  new  character— How  a  man  sometimes  looks  like  a  Muter—  Father 
Lucas— His  start  in  life— He  bad  been  several  times  round  tbe 
world,  without  thinking  much  of  it — Return  to  the  native  land — 
What  Father  Lucas  calls  his  shepherd's  round— Why  Leon  enter- 
tained so  high  an  opinion  of  the  old  fisherman — Unexpected  news 
—Uncle  Bob  does  not  say  all  he  thinks 40 


A  varied  harvest— The  sea-mouse— A  microscopic  array— Tricks  of  the 
chase  and  of  war — Crustaceans  and  Kabyles — Changing  armour — 
The  danger  of  disarmament— Science  disconcerted — Sacculina  and 
its  wonderful  transformations  —  Ophiura  —  Holothuria  —  Chinese 
cookery— A  suicide— The  hermit-crab— An  unedifying  biography 
— An  invitation  .  ........  48 


VI. 

•t  for  the  fishing — The  surprise  of  Black — A  chameleon  of  the 
waters— Two  lines  from  Deroulede — The  cuttle-fish's  gift  of  tears — 
A  strange  locomotive  apparatus— Black  dyed  afresh— -An  ink  used 
for  writing  by  the  ancients--How  Cuvier  wrote  and  drew  the 
figures  of  his  "Memoir  on  Cephalopoda"— The  cuttle-fish  bone — 
classification  of  the  Mollusca — The  spoils  of  the  net  ;  sea-scorpion, 
fishing-frog — Stomach  fishing — Twice  eaten — A  singularly  placed 
carpenter's  tool— Progressive  wryneck— A  demented  one — Sad 
accident — Kene  wouniled 61 


vn. 

Symptoms  that  may  arise  from  th«  wound  of  the  weever-fish— The 
poisonous  structures  of  the  weever — ClHSsificntion  of  fishes — A  fanci- 
ful etymology— A  shark's  breakfast,  according  to  Muller— More 
strange  names— Why  fishes  that  live  near  the  surface  in  the  water 
cannot  penetrate  to  great  depths— Life  in  the  abysses  of  the  ocean 
—How  a  simple  thread  sufficed  to  overturn  the  theories  of  scientific 

men— Researches  made  by  the  English,  Swedish,  and  Americans 

Explorations  of  the  Travaillwr  and  Talisman — Surprising  results — 
Remarks  by  Kene— The  invalid's  nightmare          ...  78 


CONTENTS.  ix 


VIII. 

PAOB 

An  uninviting  form  of  cookery — Light  talking  and  good  working — A 
constant  sign — Curious  anatomical  point — An  eye  consisting  of 
many  thousand  eyes— A  magnificent  preparation — Three  stomachs 
to  a  single  individual —The  classification  of  insects — Queer  names 
again — Aptera — A  flea's  jump — Unexpected  maternal  instinct — The 
reputation  of  the  flea  restored — Diptera— Number  of  strokes  of  a 
gnat's  wing  in  a  second — The  bot-flies  and  Helophili — Trans- 
formations of  a  gnat — Hemiptera — Lepidoptera — Butterflies  have 
feathers — Depredators — Neuroptera  —  Devastating  hosts  —  White 
ants — Coleoptera — Our  friends  and  enemies 110 

IX. 

Congratulations  are  the  order  of  the  day  — Ineffectual  strategy — 
Some  respectable  insects  — Ants  and  their  flocks — Dairy-farms  of 
blight — Men,  women,  and  workers — To  be  an  ant  is  no  sinecure 
— Destruction  of  a  home — An  eastern  legend — Tamerlane — In 
what  way  a  mere  ant  may  sometimes  decide  the  fate  of  an 
empire — Hew  Mr.  Leon  increased  his  collection  on  this  occasion  .  127 

X. 

More  Hymenoptera — Republic  and  monarchy — Bees — Expulsion  of 
the  swarm — A  swarm  in  a  letter-box— Preparatory  measures — 
House-cleaning  and  repairs— Propolis — Wax,  honey— Saint  Bartho- 
lomew's day  in  a  hive — Egg-laying,  larvae — Regal  food — A  mortal 
duel— Orthoptera— Cockroaches,  crickets,  grasshoppers,  &c. — Ear- 
wigs—Undeserved  censure — Extraordinary  increase  of  locusts  and 
Blattse — A  supposed  omission — Out  of  the  ranks  of  insects— The 
Epeira  diadema — How  the  spider  spins  his  web — The  trap-door 
spider,  navvy,  mason,  and  upholsterer— Argyroneta— A  tent  under 
water — The  struggle  for  existence 138 

XI. 

A  sailor's  marriage  at  Villers— Titles  of  nobility— A  strange  vessel — 

Good  folk— An  acceptable  gift— The  Albatross        .        .         .        .157 


XII. 

A  letter — Logical  inferences — Pietro  Franceschini — The  Odysseus  of  a 
gendarme — An  account  of  the  acquaintance  of  Franceschini  and 
Uncle  Bob — The  two  barometers — A  false  prophet ....  163 


CONTENTS. 


XIII. 

PAOB 

The  Road  to  Touques  on  a  fair-day— Reptiles— An  example  to  be 
imitated  by  the  market-gardeners  of  France— Doubtful  forms— A 
reptile  with  a  strong  anatomical  resemblance  to  a  bird— Birds 
provided  with  teeth— Uses  of  reptiles— Barometer  No.  2  seems 
likely  to  be  right 170 


XIY. 

A  village  inn  at  Touques  in  the  year  of  grace,  1884— At  the  fair— The 
g.r.r.r-rand  menagerie— A  trade  truly  requiring  a  natural  calling- 
Two  anecdotes  of  tamers 182 


XV. 

Return  to  the  cottage — Two  or  three  words  about  mammalia — The 
stomach  of  a  chewer  of  the  cud — A  well-applied  mythological 
name — Terror  of  Dame  Theresa — Disgusting  !  but  a  benefactor — 
Uncle  Bob  releases  a  criminal  condemned  to  death  .  .  .  .192 


XVI. 

Continuance  of  bad  weather— Mother  Goose,  loto,  or  dominoes — A  took 
of  wonders — Rotifers — Artificial  death  and  revival — Tardigrades, 
Kolpodes,  Monads,  and  Vorticella — How  to  obtain  a  desired 
infusorian  —  Mineral,  vegetable,  or  animal? — Diatomacese — To 
what  the  colour  of  some  seas  is  due — Foraminifera — Polypes, 
Hydra — Experiments  of  du  Tremblay — How  a  single  animal  may 
be  made  into  several,  and  several  into  one — A  naturalist  never 
wearies 211 


XVII. 

With  Franceschini— Another  barometer—"  Good-day,  Major  !  "—A 
mysterious  voice— Uncle  Bob  begins  to  fancy  the  keeper's  house 
must  be  haunted— Jacob— A  fable  of  La  Fontaine  realised— The 
Norman  character  makes  itself  evident  even  in  birds — Rene's 
classification— Honest  men  and  brigands— Day  thieves  and  noc- 
turnal prowlers— The  waders  and  web-feet— Climbers— Gallina- 
ceous birds— Passerine  birds — Jacob  sadly  out  of  place— Frances- 
chini insists  on  a  new  classification  222 


CONTENTS.  xi 


XVIII. 

Three  great  categories  of  birds— Injurious  birds — Birds  of  mixed  quali- 
ties— Useful  birds— Certain  birds  not  to  bo  proscribed  at  first 
glance — Some  conclusive  facts— Frederick  the  Great  and  his  cher- 
ries—Curious observation  made  in  Paris — Those  that  eat  insects — 
Some  figures — An  unjust  and  odious  persecution — The  worst  enemy 
of  rats,  field-mice,  and  other  rodents — Birds  as  protectors  of  sailors 
—An  English  law — Cormorant-fishing  in  China — A  possible  cure 
for  the  Phylloxera — A  proposal  from  Franceschini 


XIX. 

In  the  wood — Interment  of  a  field-mouse—  The  population  of  an  oak- 
tree—  Gall-fly — The  origin  of  gall-nuts  —Parasites  ot  parasites—  The 
surprise  prepared  by  the  keeper — A  park  for  insects — New  treasures 
for  the  collection  of  Leon — Arrest  of  an  assassin — Ocypus  olens — A 
little-known  way  of  butterfly  hunting — Wedded  couples  should  be 
well-matched — Saint  Francis  of  Sales  might  have  become  an  excel- 
lent entomologist — The  grebe — A  difficult  problem  solved  by  a  bird 
— The  return — A  conjugal  drama .  253 


XX. 

On  board  the  cutter  Albatross— At  sea — Medusae — Rene  is  again  a 
"martyr  of  science" — Physalia— An  old  tale  by  Father  Lucas — A 
Bailor's  fancy  that  cost  its  author  dear — Phosphorescence  of  the 
sea — How  the  Medusae  grow — Alternation  of  generations — Arrival 
at  Etretat 275 


XXI. 

Villers  and  Etretat — The  cliffs  of  Normandy— The  power  of  a  drop  of 
water — How  shingle  beaches  are  formed — A  "water-cat" — Way 
of  getting  rid  of  an  octopus — Every  nook  occupied — The  popula- 
tion of  a  rock — A  new  fauna — The  various  zones  of  the  tidal  region  283 


xii  CONTENTS. 


XXII. 

PAOB 

The  return  from  Etretat— Inventory — A  serious  culprit — The  worst  foe 
of  the  Dutchman— A  selfish  rascal — The  sponges  of  the  Channel — 
Homeric  combat  between  a  negro  and  a  sponge — Clams — A  China- 
man in  a  shell — Signs  of  bad  weather- — A  recollection  of  some 
martyrs  of  duty — Old  mariner  and  true  sailors  ....  291 


XXIII. 
Epilogue 300 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

"  AN   ANIMAL  !     THIS   LITTLE    BALL    OP    SPINES    AX    ANIMAL  ?  "  .  .14 

SAND-EEL  (Ammodytes  tobianm,  Guv.) 17 

LUG  OR  Lou- WORM  (Arenicola  piscatontm) 18 

"THE   SPINES    OF    THE    SEA-URCHIN    HAD    FALLEN    OFF "                 ...  21 

SPIDER  CRAB  (Maia  squinado,  Lat.);  PKAWN  (Palcemon  serratus,  Penn.); 
SHRIMP  (Crangon  vulgar  is,  Fab.);  HEHMIT-CRAB  (Pagurus  bernar- 

dus,  L.) 23 

STAR-FISH  (Astenas) 29 

RADIATES  (Serpulce,  Ophiura,  Rhizostomn,  Star-fish,  Sea-urchin)      .         .  31 

ZOOPHYTES  (Stony  Coral,  Sertularia,  CeUularia) 33 

BRYOZOA  (Mois-animals) 34 

SKRPULA 36 

ANIMALCULE  IN  WATER 37 

' '  QUITE  A  WORLD  OF  POLYPES  ON  THEIR  CARAPACE "  .        .        .        .50 

DROMIA  (Dromia  vulgaris,  Edw.) 51 

SKA- CUCUMBER  (Holothuria) 55 

"A   HYPOCRITICAL    OLD   FELLOW  ".             . 59 

GASTEROPOD  MOLLUSCA  (Murex,  Haliotii)      .         .         ...         .68 

ACEPHALOUS  MOLLUSC.     RAZOR-FISH  (Solen  ensis)          ....  69 

FISHING-FROG  (Lophius  piscatorius,  Lin.) 70 

THE  PHAWN  (Palamon  serratus) 72 

COMMON  CUTTLE-FISH  (Sepia  officinalis,  Lin.)          .....  73 

COMMON  SHRIMP  (Crangon  vulyaris) 75 

WKEVER-FISH  (Trachimw  draco,  Lin.) 76 

GURNARD  (Trigla,  Guv.) 77 

HEAD  OF  THE  WBEVER 80 

SECTION  THROUGH  THE  MIDDLE  OF  THE  SPINE 80 

SECTION  OF  SPINE  AT  THE  BASE 80 

COMMON  STURGEON  (Acipenser  sturio,  Lin.)  ......  81 

SEA-LAMPREY  (Petromyzon  marinus,  Lin.) 83 

SHARP-NOSED  RAY  (Raja  oxyrhynchus,  Lin.) 84 

SWORD-FISH  (Kiphias  gladius,  Lin.)        .......  85 


xiv  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


THE  TUNNY  (Scomber  thynnus,  Lin.) 86_ 

THE  RUFFE  (Perca  cernua,  Cuv.) 

COMMON  CARP  (Oyprinus  carpio,  Lin.) 

SOL«  (Pleuronectes  solea,  Lin.) 

SEA-HORSES  (Hippocampus  gut/atus,  Cnv.) 

PIPE-FISH  (Syngnathus  asquoreus,  Lin.) 

TUHBOT  (Pleuronectes  maximus,  Burbo.) 

SUBMARINE  EXPLORATIONS  OF  THE  Talisman.    SPONGE  (Holtenia) 
SUBMARINE  EXPLORATIONS  OF  THE  Talisman.    SPONGE  (Adeonema)      .      93 
SUBMARINE  EXPLORATIONS  OF  THE  Talisman.     Eustomias  obscwtis,  DIS- 

.        COVERED   AT    A   DEPTH    OF    8,800    FEET 94 

SUBMARINE  EXPLORATIONS  OF  THE  Talisman.     (Macrurus  australis)        .       95 
SUBMARINE   EXPLORATIONS   OF   THE    Talisman.      (Macrurus  globiceps), 

FISHED    FROM   A  DEPTH   BETWEEN   4,500    AND    10,000  FEET         .  .          96 

SUBMARINE   EXPLORATIONS    OF    THE   Talisman.     (Euripharynx  pelecan- 

oides).  COAST  OF  MOROCCO,  AT  A  DEPTH  OF  8,000  FEET  .  .  97 
SUBMARINE  EXPLORATIONS  OF  THE  Talisman.  (Melanocetus  johnsoiii). 

BETWEEN  THE  AZORES  AND  EUROPE.  DEPTH,  16,000  FEET  .  .  98 

FOUR  FACETS  FROM  THE  P/TE  OF  A  COCKCHAFER  .  .  .  105 

DIGESTIVE  SYSTEM  OF  A  CARNIVOROUS  INSECT  (Carabus)  .  .  .  106 

HEAD-LOUSE,  MUCH  MAGNIFIED 107 

THE  FLEA  :  NYMPH,  PERFECT  INSECT,  AND  LARVA  ....  109 

TWO-WINGED  FLY  (Musca) 112 

RAT-TAILED  WORMS  (LARVAE  OF  Helophilm).  AND  THE  SAME  INSECT  IN 

THE  PERFECT  STATE 113 

METAMORPHOSES  OF  A  GNAT ..114 

UNDER  SURFACE  OF  THE  PHYLLOXERA  OF  THE  VINE.  WINGED  FORM. 

MAGNIFIED  ABOUT  SIXTY  TIMES  .  ...  .  .  ...  116 

PEACOCK  BUTTERFLY 118 

SCALES  FROM  BUTTERFLIES'  WINGS,  GREATLY  MAGNIFIED  .  .  .119 

DRAGON-FLY  (Libellula) 121 

MAY-FLY  (Ephemera) :  NYMPH,  PERFECT  INSECT 120 

WHITE  ANTS  (Termites) :  DIFFERENT  FORMS 122 

COLEOPTERA:  THE  BROAD  DYTISCUS  (Dytiscus  latissimus),  THE  GREAT 

HYDROPHTLUS  (Hydrophilus  piceus) 123 

EGYPTIAN  SACRED  BEETLE  (Scarabceus) 124 

TURNIP-FLY:  NATURAL  SIZE  AND  MUCH  MAGNIFIED  .  .  .  .125 

CORN-WEEVIL,  MUCH  MAGNIFIED  ........  126 

WIRE-WORM:  LARVA  AND  PERFECT  INSECT 126 

DERMESTES  LARDARIUS 126 

ANT-LION  IN  ITS  PIT:  THE  BORN  ENEMY  OF  ANTS  .  .  .  .130 

RED  ANT  (Formica  rufa,  Latr.) 131 

ANTS  AND  APHIDES 133 

WASPS'  NEST,  WITH  PART  OF  THE  EXTERNAL  COVERING  REMOVED  TO 


SHOW  THE  CELLS 


13G 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  XV 


PAGB 

SWARM  OF  BEES 139 

FRAGMENT  or  COMB,  WITH  BEES  AT  WOBK  ON  IT          .        .        .        .141 

DRONE,  OK  MALE  op  THE  HONEY  BEE 142 

COMMON  EARWIG 143 

FIELD-CRICKET  (Gryllus  campetHs) 144 

A  MIGRATION  OF  LOCUSTS.     BENEATH  ARE  IMMATURE  LOCUSTS    .        .  147 

BLATT^E  (COCKROACHES),  COMMONLY  CALLED  BLACK-BEETLES         .         .  148 
TRAP-DOOR  SPIDER  (Cteniza  fodiens)  AND  ITS  NEST         .         .         .         .151 

ARGYRONETA  AND  ITS  AQUATIC  BALLOON 152 

WATER-SPIDER 153 

COBWEBS  AND  SPIDERS 154 

A  CHEAP  BAROMETER 167 

TORTOISE 173 

FROGS'  EGGS  AND  TADPOLES  PARTIALLY  DEVELOPED    .        .        ...  175 

MEXICAN  AXOLOTL  (Siredon  m>iculatus)  .         .         .         .         .         .         .  177 

CAPILLARY  NETWORK.  OF  THE  FROG'S  FOOT 179 

AFRICAN  LION 185 

POLAR  BEAR 189 

QUADHUMANA:    CAPUCHIN  MONKEY 193 

CHIROPTEKA  :    LONG-EARED  BATS 195 

CARNIVORA:   PANTHER  OB,  LEOPARD      .                 196 

RODENTIA:   SQUIRREL 196 

MARSUPIALIA  :    TASMANIAN  KANGAROO  (Macropus  bennetti)     .         .         .  197 

SKULL  OF  A  RODENT 199 

TEETH  OF  AN  INSECTIVOROUS  ANIMAL 199 

INSECTIVORA:  SHREW-MICE -  199 

INSECTIVOKA:  HEDGEHOG 200 

STOMACH  OF  RUMINANT 200 

RUMINANTIA:   ONE  AND  TWO-HUMPED  CAMELS 201 

BEAVERS  AND  THEIR  DWELLINGS 203 

PACHYDERMATA  :    ELEPHANT 204 

EDENTATA  :   TATOU,  OR  ARMADILLO 205 

CETACEA  :    GREENLAND,  OR  RIGHT  WHALE 205 

MONOTREMATA:    SPINY  ECHIDNA 206 

EDENTATA:   THE  GREAT  ANT-EATER 207 

ORNITHORHYNCHUS  ANATINUS.     AUSTRALIA 209 

THE  TOAD.     "  SCARCELY  VENOMOUS  EVEN  WHEN  TOUCHED  "        .        .  210 

ROTII'ER  VULGAKIS 213 

KOLPODA  CUCULLUS 214 

BELL  VORTICELLA  (V.  convalaria) 214 

GROUP  OF  MONADS  (Manas  crepusculum)         ......  215 

Enchelys  pupa 215 

VEGETABLE  INFUSORIAN  ( Volvox  globator) 216 

DIATOM,  GREATLY  MAGNIFIED          .         .         .        .        .        .        .        .216 


xvi  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PACK 

FORAMINIFBRi,  GREATLY  MAGNIFIED 218 

FRESH-WATER  HYDRA  ...  219 

WADERS:  WHITE  STORK  (Ciconia alba,  Briss.),  HERON  (Ardea  einerea, 

Latr.),  BARE  HERON  (Ardea  lineata,  Latr.},  RED  FLAMINGO  (Pheeni- 

copterus  ruber,  Lin.) 227 

"  THESE  HOOKED  BEAKS  AND  RAPACIOUS  FIGURES  "  230 

WOODCOCK  (Scolopax  rustieola,  Lin.) 231 

GALLING  :  REEVE'S  PHEASANT,  CURASSOW,  SILVER  PHEASANT,  PEACOCK, 

GOLDEN  PHEASANT 233 

WADING  BIRD  :  AVOCET  (Recurvirostra  avoeetta,  Lin.)  ....  235 

A  DESTROYER  DESTROYED 239 

COAST  BIRDS 242 

STORK 243 

PALMIPEDES  :  COMMON  CORMORANT,  PELICAN 245 

LONG-EARED  OWL  (Asia  otus,  Lin.) 247 

A  TIT  FAMILY 249 

NECROPHOBI 256 

HEMIPTBROX  (Pentatoma  ornatula) 257 

THE  PROCESSIONARY  MOTH  AND  ITS  LARVJE,  THE  LATTER  ATTACKED 

BY  A  BEETLE,  Calosoma  sycophanta,  AND  ITS  LARVA  .  .  .  259 

CYNIPS  AND  GALL-NUTS,  OR  OAK-APPLES 262 

STAG-BEETLE  (Lwanus  eervus] :  LARVA,  PUPA,  AND  MALE  AND  FEMALE 

OF  THE  PERFECT  INSECT 263 

CARNIVOROUS  BEETLES 267 

TIGER-BEETLES 270 

COCKTAIL-BEETLE  (Ocypus  olens) [271 

CICADA ^  273 

JELLY-FISH  (Ehizostoma  cceruiea) 280 

OCTOPUS  OR  POULPB  (Octopus  vulgar**} 285 

LIMPET  ( Patella  vulgata,  Lamarck)  ' 287 

SEA-SNAIL  (Purpura  lapillus,  Lamarck) 288 

SUBMARINE  FORMS  OF  LIFE  FROM  THE  TROPICAL  SEAS  .  .  .  293 
PIECE  OP  WOOD  PERFORATED  BY  SHIP-WORMS  . 


.THE   WALKS   ABROAD 

OF 

TWO    YOUNG    NATURALISTS. 

-o 
I. 

The  reader  is  introduced  to  several  persons  whom  he  will  frequently  meet 
with  in  this  narrative — Doctor  Bob  and  his  son— Mutual  anxieties — Leon 
and  Rene ;  dissimilar  but  affectionate — Thearrival — Black — Thecottag-e — 
The  new  comer  promises  to  completely  belie  certain  unpleasant  anticipa- 
tions. 

"  Is  the  train  from  Trouville  signalled  ?  " 

"  Not  yet,  Doctor,  but  the  Paris  express  has  reached 
Trouville,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  or  twenty 
minutes  at  most,  your  travellers  will  be  here." 

"  That  will  give  me  time  to  look  at  the  cuttings 
you  have  just  made,  and  perhaps  I  shall  be  able  to 
find  in  them  some  interesting  fossils  neglected  by  the 
navvies  ;  supposing,  sir,  that  you  have  no  objection," 
said  a  young  man  who  accompanied  the  doctor,  and 
judging  from  the  resemblance  between  them,  evidently 
his  son. 

This  conversation  took  place  on  the  18th  of  August. 
B 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


1884,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  close  to  the 
station,  then  in  course  of  construction,  of  Villers-sur- 
Mer. 

The  station-master,  smiling,  made  a  bow  of  acquies- 
cence, and  returned  to  the  duties  of  his  office.  The 
young  man  was  on  the  point  of  availing  himself  of  the 
permission  he  had  obtained,  but  looking  at  his  father 
he  stopped  at  once.  The  doctor  appeared  to  be  suffer- 
ing from  some  scarcely  concealed  anxiety,  and  under- 
standing immediately  the  unspoken  question  conveyed 
by  the  eyes  of  his  son,  decided  he  would  no  longer 
restrain  himself. 

"You  can  scarcely  understand,  dear  Leon,  how 
impatient  I  am  to  see  if  what  I  have  heard  about  your 
cousin  Eene  be  not  exaggerated.  The  attacks  of 
intermittent  fever  have  caused  him  to  cease  his 
studies  abruptly  some  weeks  before  the  holidays,  and 
his  unusual  delay  this  year  in  coming  to  our  sea- 
side abode  causes  me  a  good  deal  of  anxiety  about 
him." 

And  as  Leon  was  about  to  reply  he  continued :  "  I 
know  what  you  are  going  to  say  to  me,  and  it  is  true 
that  I  examined  him  before  I  came  away  and  found 
nothing  seriously  wrong.  But  then,  unfortunately,  a 
doctor's  prognosis  is  by  no  means  infallible,  and  in  the 
weeks  that  have  passed  since  then  he  may  have  got 
worse.  However,  in  ten  minutes  we  shall  know  what 
to  think,"  he  added,  as  if  desirous  of  concluding,  and 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


at  the  same  time  played  with  his  walking-stick 
amongst  the  gravel  where  they  were  pacing. 

Doctor  Boberral,  shortened  to  Uncle  Bob  by  his 
family,  and  to  "the  Doctor"  by  the  people  of  Villers, 
although  there  were  at  least  eight  doctors  in  the 
neighbourhood,  is  a  fine  specimen  of  an  old  gentleman : 
pale,  with  long  white  hair,  scrupulously  shaven  chin, 
and  a  kindly  but  somewhat  bantering  expression. 
His  very  restless  grey  eyes  sometimes  gleamed  with 
remarkable  force  through  his  bushy  eyebrows,  as  if  to 
interpret  the  soul  of  his  patient  and  penetrate  to  the 
very  seat  of  his  malady,  and  sometimes  by  a  sudden 
change  melted  into  an  expression  of  extreme  sweetness. 
With  a  toilet  always  unexceptionable,  he  wears  a  hat 
with  wide  border,  the  usual  white  cravat  wound 
three  times  round  the  neck  before  being  tied,  and  in 
his  button-hole  the  rosette  of  the  Legion  of  Honour. 

In  fact  he  is  the  best  and  most  benevolent  man  I 
know. 

His  visit  to  Villers  for  a  short  time  every  year, 
was  looked  upon  in  the  neighbourhood  as  a  real 
blessing. 

Having  been  left  a  widower  while  still  young,  the 
doctor  had  devoted  himself  more  entirely  than  ever  to 
the  cultivation  of  science  and  to  the  education  of  his  son, 
and  had  by  these  means  been  able  gradually  to  assuage 
his  grief,  though  not  to  quite  forget  it.  Considered 
one  of  the  first  practitioners  in  Paris,  he  now  carried 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


on  only  a  small  practice  so  that  he  might  be  able  to 
leave  to  his  sou  a  few  select  patients,  whose  number 
the  latter  might  himself  increase  when  sufficiently 
experienced  to  succeed  him.  At  the  same  time  Dr. 
Boberral  did  not  stint  his  devotion  when  it  was 
required.  It  is  a  matter  of  history  that  during  the 
dreadful  period  of  the  siege  of  Paris  in  1870,  he 
arranged  an  ambulance  for  the  wounded  and  also 
maintained  a  separate  hospital  for  cases  of  fever.  This 
charitable  inclination  had  cost  him  much,  but  it  had 
also  procured  for  him  the  well-deserved  distinction  of 
the  red  ribbon,  and  contributed  more  than  a  little  to 
the  renown  and  confidence  with  which  this  really 
learned  man  was  regarded. 

Leon,  who  had  withdrawn  a  few  steps,  in  reality  less 
to  look  for  fossils  than  to  compose  his  countenance, 
could  not  help  sharing  to  some  extent  the  fears 
expressed  by  the  good  doctor.  He  too  had  conceived 
a  very  great  love  for  his  cousin,  perhaps  because  of 
the  law  of  contrasts,  for  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine 
a  greater  difference  than  that  which  existed  between 
these  two  young  people.  Leon  was  dark,  thick-set, 
proud  of  his  tender  moustache.  An  unwearied  worker, 
he  had  inherited  the  scientific  tastes  of  his  father,  and 
was  devoting  to  the  study  of  natural  history  the  few 
hours  of  repose  that  he  could  obtain  from  the  serious 
studies  required  during  the  last  year  of  preparation  for 
his  decree. 


TIW  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


Eene,  whom  we  shall  soon  see,  fair  and  tall,  and 
excessively  slender,  apparently  only  maintaining  his 
upright  position  by  some  sort  of  permanent  gymnastic 
feat, — Parisian  to  the  soul,  playing  the  sceptic,  and 
careless  by  nature,  was  never  so  pleased  as  when 
"  masters  "  and  professors  would  allow  him  to  work 
or  dream  in  his  own  fashion,  according  to  the  caprice 
of  the  moment.  He  was  quite  unattracted  by  the 
study  of  either  the  exact  or  the  natural  sciences. 
According  to  a  favourite  expression  of  his  own,  he 
could  not  understand  how  any  one  could  seek  con- 
verse with  plants,  animals,  or  stones  ;  and  he  pre- 
ferred the  boulevard  to  the  country,  a  scene  at  the 
theatre  to  a  beautiful  view,  and  could  disconcert 
with  a  single  word  his  dear  cousin,  Leon,  who 
had  often  tried  in  vain  to  convert  him  to  his  own 
ideas. 

In  the  midst  of  the  reflections  of  our  two  friends 
there  was  heard  the  long  metallic  note  sounded  by  the 
horn  of  the  distant  signalman,  repeated  nearer  and 
nearer  like  a  reversed  echo.  Leon,  the  doctor,  and 
others  who  had  scattered  themselves  while  waiting 
for  the  train,  now  gathered  together  with  eagerness. 

Soon  a  prolonged  rumbling  was  heard,  a  cloud  of 
smoke  appeared  in  the  cutting,  spreading  its  broad 
grey  flakes  over  the  blue  sky,  the  whistle  sounded 
twice,  and  the  train  was  in  the  station. 

"  Here  I  am  at  last,"  cried  a  gay  voice,  and  at  the 


THE    WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


same  time  two  arms  embraced  the  doctor.  "This 
confounded  train  was  delayed— an  accident  on  the  line 
near  Lisieux — three-quarters  of  aD  hour's  waiting  in 
the  middle  of  the  fields.  Are  you  really  quite  well, 
Uncle  Bob  ?— by  the  bye,  I  have  brought  Black  with 
me.  And  you,  Leon,  how  are  you  ?  Are  you  always 
collecting  and  dissecting?" 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  this  human  hurricane, 
incessantly  talking  and  gesticulating,  was  none  other 
than  our  Mend  Kene,  who  was  thus  making  up  for 
his  time  of  compulsory  quiet  and  prolonged  dumb- 


An  old-fashioned  omnibus  with  high  wheels,  and  on 
its  yellow  and  dusty  exterior  bearing,  like  so  many 
others  of  its  sort,  as  if  it  were  the  maker's  name,  this 
inscription :  "  Correspondance  du  chemin  de  fer," 
was  waiting.  Three  places  were  reserved  in  this 
ancient  vehicle;  but  the  new  comer  having  declared 
that  he  was  "  tired  of  being  seated,"  the  conductor,  a 
colossus  with  rubicund  visage,  wearing,  in  spite  of  the 
season,  a  thick  otter-skin  cap,  placed  with  a  single 
effort  the  luggage  under  its  cover,  and  the  three 
friends  quitted  the  station  preceded  by  Black,  a  superb 
spaniel,  who  profited  by  his  newly  regained  liberty  to 
inspect  as  they  went  along  the  stock- grounds  at  the 
barriers,  to  run  after  and  yelp  at  the  fowls  in  the 
back  yards,  and  to  roll  himself  in  the  grass  with 
thorough  enjoyment. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


The  road  from  the  railway  station  at  Tillers  has 
fine  trees  on  each  side  and  forms  a  magnificent  avenue 
extending  as  far  as  the  commencement  of  the  village. 
All  three  sauntered  leisurely  along  it  under  the  in- 
fluence of  that  indefinable  feeling  of  satisfaction  that 
one  experiences  in  the  country  on  a  fine  evening, 
speaking  of  the  absent  friends  in  Paris  that  Kene  had 
quitted  only  that  morning.  As  they  went  by,  the 
peasants  leaning  against  their  door-posts  respectfully 
greeted  them  by  lifting  their  hats.  When  they  came 
to  the  houses  Black  went  ahead  like  a  dog  who  knows 
his  whereabouts,  and  a  few  minutes  afterwards  they 
followed  him  into  the  cottage  on  the  sea-shore. 

"At  last!"  was  the  greeting  of  the  old  housekeeper 
Theresa,  who  knew  from  long  experience,  that  a  dinner 
kept  warm  is  never  enjoyed.  The  table  had  long 
been  spread,  and  showed  an  inviting  display  of  bril- 
liant crystal,  and  plates  with  blue  flowers,  while 
conspicuous  in  its  centre  was  a  capacious  soup-dish  of 
most  appetizing  appearance. 

uNow,"  said  the  doctor,  addressing  his  nephew, 
"  take  off  your  bag,  and  to  table,  young  men,  if  you 
please."  Eene  wanted  little  pressing,  and  drew  one 
after  the  other  from  his  game-bag,  a  book,  three 
papers,  and  (mothers  are  the  same  all  the  world  over) 
the  remains  of  a  cake,  which  must  have  been  of 
very  respectable  proportions  when  he  started;  and 
although  it  had  greatly  diminished  this  did  not 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


prevent  the  young  Parisian  saying  as  he  unfolded  his 
serviette — 

"  I  don't  know  whether  it  is  the  country  air,  but  I 
feel  already  most  immensely  hungry." 

"Ah  !  ah!"  thought  the  old  savant,  as  he  rubbed 
his  hands  together,  u  he  certainly  is  not  so  ill  as  I 
feared  he  might  be." 


II. 

Disenchantment — What  one  can  do  at  Villers  when  there  is  nothing  better— 
A  new  arid  peculiar  definition  of  zoology — The  laboratory — Chestnuts 
without  chestnut- trees — A  new  arrangement  in  teeth — An  individual 
with  3,840  feet — How  to  fish  for  the  launce  or  sand-eel— A  sea-worm 
and  its  mode  of  breathing — Animal-plants — A  very  badly  educated 
creature — The  way  one  should  adopt  to  grow — The  four  branches  of  the 
animal  kingdom. 

THE  following  morning  before  Rene  awoke  the  sun 
had  long  since  cast  its  beams  through  the  curtains  of 
his  apartment,  but  he  soon  arose  with  the  contented 
air  of  one  who  has  slept  well,  opened  his  window,  and 
took  a  look  at  the  sea. 

There  was  already  a  considerable  stir  near  the  house 
and  on  the  beach.  An  old  sailor  had  fastened  a  net 
to  some  nails  on  a  wall,  and  was  mending  its  torn 
meshes  with  great  strokes  of  a  shuttle.  Beyond  was 
the  immense  expanse  of  blue  water,  infringed  on  near 
its  edge  by  the  fishers  for  shrimps,  who  went  back- 
wards and  forwards  in  the  water  up  to  the  middle  of 
their  bodies.  Some  fishing-boats,  locally  called  "plates," 
were  returning  with  difficulty,  and  with  much  assist- 
ance by  oars  and  sails,  to  the  port  of  Trouville.  In 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


the  far-off  distance  Cape  Heve  was  seen,  looming 
vaguely  as  if  half-effaced  by  a  purple  mist.  The 
young  man  from  Paris,  half-dressed,  gazed  on  the 
scene  and  breathed  freely  the  air  impregnated  with 
the  saline  odours  wafted  by  the  morning  breeze. 
After  a  few  minutes  of  speechless  admiration,  "  Upon 
my  word,"  said  he,  "I  could  almost  believe  one 
breathes  more  freely  here  than  in  Eichelieu  Street," 

After  a  quarter  of  an  hour  he  went  downstairs 
to  the  breakfast-room.  His  uncle  and  Leon  were 
there  before  him. 

Naturally  the  question  under  discussion  was,  what 
is  the  best  thing  to  do  for  the  day  ? 

"  Suppose  we  make  out  our  programme  at  once  ?  " 
said  Eene  to  his  cousin.  "  First  there  is  the  casino, 
entertainments  and  farces,  players  from  Paris.  By 
the  way,  is  the  orchestra  as  alarming  as  it  was  last 
year?" 

"  The  casino,  or  rather  the  wooden  shanty  you  saw 
last  year,  is  gone :  it  was  demolished  by  a  hurricane 
during  winter.  They  are  building  another,  which  is 
intended  to  be  superb,  and  will  be  opened  in  three 
years." 

Eene's  face  grew  serious. 

"  I  hope  our  companions  and  the  friends  we  knew 

last  summer  remain  ?     Colonel  D ,  the  unwearied 

maker  of  pigeon-shooting  matches  and  of  rally-papers  ; 
Count  T ,  the  patron  of  polo  and  lawn-tennis ;  our 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


friends  L ,  with  the  '  three  charming  young 

daughters,'  as  we  used  to  hear  repeated  regularly 
every  Saturday  by  an  '  echo  of  the  shore.'  " 

"No,  all  gone,"  replied  Leon.  "The  three  charm- 
ing young  daughters  are  passing  the  season  at  Biarritz; 

Count  T is  detained  in  Paris  by  a  domestic 

calamity  and  will  not  appear  this  year ;  and  as  for 

Colonel  D ,  we  shall  not  see  him  again :  he  has 

been  promoted  and  is  gone  to  Tunis." 

The  Parisian's  face  became  more  and  more  serious. 

"But  your  Villers  is  really  a  country  of  Hurons 
and  Apaches,  then  !  "  But  immediately  aware  of  his 
rudeness  he  added  :  "  Never  mind  that ;  we  two 
are  together- — all  three  together,"  he  said,  looking 
at  his  uncle.  "  We  shall  be  sure  to  find  something 
to  do.  Come  now,  make  a  proposal,  you  the  elder. 
Mr.  Le*on,"  added  he  with  comic  gravity,  "  I  call  on 
you ! " 

"Well,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  don't  see  much,  unless 
we  occupy  ourselves  with  natural  history,  zoology." 

On  hearing  this  word  the  other  started  as  if  he  had 
received  an  electric  shock. 

"  Is  that  all  .you  can  think  of?  "  cried  he.  "  Zoo- 
logy, natural  history — that  is  you  all  over ;  and  you 
think  that  is  amusement  !  tardigrades,  plantigrades, 
digitigrades,  and  other  grades  that  I  have  forgotten. 
Now  see,  and  I  will  give  you  once  for  all  a  definition 
of  your  science  :  Zoology  is  just  like  botany,  which  a 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


great  writer,  I  forget  who  "  (and  as  Leon  could  not 
help  smiling),  "yes,  a  great  writer"  (measuring  his 
syllables  with  emphasis),  "has  defined  botany  as  the 
'  art  of  calling  plants  names  in  Greek  ! '  " 

u  Come,  come  !  "  said  Leon,  now  laughing  openly. 
"  This  is  a  regular  philippic,  a  denouncement,  an 
impeachment  of  us  by  the  public  prosecutor." 

Eene  was  not  disconcerted,  on  the  contrary,  he 
continued  more  confidently — 

"I  will  allow  you  as  much  as  this:  suppose  we 
were  living  in  one  of  those  far-off  countries  where 
extraordinary  plants  and  wonderful  animals  are  met 
with  wherever  one  goes,  then  I  would  be  your  faith- 
ful companion,  your  Friday ;  but  here  we  are  only 
four  hours  from  Paris — four  hours,  when  the  train 
is  not  delayed  at  Lisieux,  be  it  understood.  I 
really  do  not  see  what  sort  of  studies  you  can  even 
pretend  to  make  here :  I  suppose  you  do  not  intend 
to  demonstrate  that  at  Yillers  there  may  be  seen 
oxen,  horses,  dogs  and  cats,  as  specimens  of  domesti- 
cated animals,  and  as  ferce  naturce,  partridges,  hares, 
and  rabbits,  until  the  shooting  season  commences, 
of  course.  You  may  add  that  the  natives  wear  ear- 
rings and  cotton  hats,  and  I  believe  then  your  work 
is  exhausted." 

"  And  suppose  I  prove  to  you  exactly  the  opposite," 
said  Leon.  "  Suppose  I  show  you  that  at  only  four 
hours'  distance  from  Paris,  yes,  even  at  Paris  itself, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  13 

there  are  things  of  much  interest  in  natural  history  to 
see  and  to  study  ?  " 

And  as  Eene  made  a  gesture  of  thorough  incredu- 
lity he  added,  "  Meanwhile  we  will  take  a  turn  on  the 
shore.  I  take  possession  of  you  by  authority,  and  we 
shall  see  who  is  right,  who  wrong.  Allow  me  a 
couple  of  minutes  to  go  to  my  laboratory  and  get  my 
botanical  box  and  some  bottles." 

"I  go  under  compulsion,"  said  Eene,  in  a  tone 
worthy  of  a  martyr  on  the  way  to  the  stake. 

Leon's  workshop,  to  which  he  gave  the  imposing 
name  of  laboratory,  was  a  small  square  apartment, 
whitewashed  and  facing  the  garden ;  on  some  tables 
various  kinds  of  chemical  and  physiological  apparatus, 
retorts,  bottles,  glass  tubes  of  various  sizes  and  dimen- 
sions glittered  gaily  in  the  rays  of  the  sun.  Farther 
on  there  were  books,  a  series  of  carefully-labelled 
phials,  specimens  of  the  minerals  and  fossils  of  the 
district,  and  hanging  on  the  wall  here  and  there, 
boxes  and  bags,  with  quite  an  array  of  fishing-lines 
and  butterfly-nets.  In  the  middle  of  the  room  stood  a 
large  working-table  with  a  microscope  covered  by  its 
shade.  A  variety  of  nets  were  drying  in  front  of  the 
door,  and  Leon  took  possession  of  the  first  that 
was  handy. 

"  We  shall  not  see  much  to-day  ;  the  tide  has  been 
coming  in  for  an  hour  already.  However,  we  shall 
have  been,  shall  have  made  a  beginning." 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


Two  minutes  brought  them  to  the  sands. 

"  Stop  a  minute,  what  is  this?"  Rene"  called  all  at 
once,  as  he  was  stooping  down  to  pick  up  from  the 
sand  a  little  ball  of  the  size  of  a  sweet  chestnut,  and 
covered,  like  that  fruit,  with  green  spines.  "  So 
chestnuts  grow  in  the  sand  at  Villers !  " 


"AN  AXIMAL!    THIS  LITTLE  BALL  OF  SPIXES  AX  AXIMAL?" 

"Yes,  chestnuts,  but  not  chestnut-trees,"  said 
Leon.  "  And  in  fact  you  are  not  the  first  who  has 
noticed  the  resemblance  ;  almost  everywhere  this 
curious  animal  is  called  a  sea-chestnut,  though  natu- 
ralists call  it  a  sea-urchin." 

"An  animal!  that  an  animal !  a  little  ball  covered 
with  spines  ?  Perhaps  it*  is  a  fish.  It  might  possibly 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


be  so  on  the  first  of  April,  but  this  is  not  the  time  of 
year  for  such  jokes.  Moreover,  if  it  be  an  animal, 
show  me  its  mouth." 

"Here  it  is,"  said  Le*on,  pointing  out  in  the  middle 
of  the  flattened  part  of  the  urchin,  a  cavity  closed  by 
five  little  pointed  bones  interlocked  in  one  another. 
"The  jolly  creature  has  good  teeth,  as  you  may  see. 
It  has  indeed  in  this  an  advantage  over  ourselves,  for 
its  teeth,  like  those  of  the  rodents,  never  wear  out;  or 
rather,  they  grow  up  from  the  root  just  in  proportion 
as  they  wear  away  at  the  top." 

"  And  so  they  have  no  need  for  dentists.  Wonder- 
ful !  And  yet  their  lot  does  not  appear  to  me  an 
enviable  one.  To  begin  with,  they  cannot  do  much  in 
the  way  of  making  excursions,  as  they  have  neither 
fins,  nor  legs,  nor  feet." 

"  Completely  wrong  again  !  Sea-urchins  do  have 
legs  and  feet,  not  quite  after  the  same  fashion  as  our- 
selves, certainly,  for  they  have  several  hundred,  dis- 
tributed over  all  the  surface  of  the  body.  On  a 
moderate-sized  urchin  3,840  feet  have  been  counted 
by  a  patient  naturalist,  or  rather3  to  use  the  scientific 
term  3,840  ambulacral  feet."  * 

"Not  more  than  that!  But  I  sincerely  pity  the 
creature,  for  if  I  may  judge  from  myself,  who  possess 
only  a  single  pair,  it  must  be  impossible  for  it  to 
remain  quiet  a  single  minute  anywhere." 

*  The  sea-urchins  possess,  moreover,  "  ambulacral  brains.'' 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


"  Their  arrangement  permits  the  urchin  to  progress 
in  any  direction.  If  it  were  still  alive  you  would  be 
able  to  see  a  multitude  of  contractile  tubes  terminated 
by  a  sucker.  At  the  base  of  each  tube  there  is  a 
sac  acting  as  a  reservoir  of  water.  If  our  urchin 
wishes  to  march,  this  sac  contracts,  the  ambulacral 
foot  is  distended  with  water,  something  like  the 
fingers  of  a  glove  if  you  blow  into  it ;  the  sucker 
at  the  end  is  fixed  on  to  the  ground,  the  other 
ambulacral  feet  repeat  the  operation,  and  the  urchin 
is  out  for  a  walk. 

"  I  must  not  forget  to  add  that  this  creature,  so 
fragile  in  appearance,  is  nevertheless  able,  on  rocky 
coasts  where  the  surf  is  very  violent,  to  pierce  the 
hardest  stones,  and  to  excavate  a  lodging  for  itself 
even  in  granite." 

Bene"  had,  without  thinking,  put  the  urchin  in  his 
pocket  and  was  no  longer  listening. 

His  attention  for  the  last  minute  or  two  was  directed 
to  two  fishers.  One  of  them,  armed  with  a  fork  hav- 
ing slender  teeth,  was  walking  backwards  tracing  a 
deep  furrow  in  the  sand,  while  the  second,  attentive, 
followed  him  step  by  step,  then  suddenly  stooped 
down,  and,  capturing  something,  put  it  in  a  box. 

"  What  a  singular  occupation !  What  can  they  be 
doing?"  said  Kene*. 

Then  drawing  a  little  nearer  he  saw  that  the  box 
was  filled  with  small  fish  of  elongated  form,  like  eels. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


Directly  one  of  these  eels  was  brought  to  the  surface, 
it  again  buried  itself  in  the  sand  with  incredible 
rapidity. 

"  These  are  sand-eels,"  said  Leon.     "  Their  muzzle 
acts  as  a  spade  and  digs  for  them  retreats  in  the  sand 


SAXD-EEL  (Ammodytes  tobianus,   Cuv.). 

where  they  are  perfectly  safe,  supposing  no  fishermen 
come  to  dislodge  them." 

"And  is  it  edible?" 

"  Yes,  you  gourmand,  it  is  edible  when  you  can  get 
enough  of  it.  The  fishers,  however,  prefer  to  use  it  as 
a  bait  for  their  lines." 

"And  that  old  man  yonder,  making  holes  in  the 
sand  with  a  spade,  surely  he  cannot  get  very  much  all 
alone  ?  Ah,  what  a  nasty  worm  !  Perhaps  that  too 
is  for  fishing." 

A  score  or  so  of  worms  were  wriggling  in  the  old 
c 


lg  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


man's  receptacle.  It  was  singular  to  notice  that  each 
one  had  a  constriction  near  the  middle  of  the  body, 
and  the  second  part  was  not  so  thick  by  one-half  as 
the  first  part  was.  In  fact,  it  looked  like  two  worms, 
a  large  one  and  a  small  one,  fastened  together  end  to 

end. 

"  And  what  in  your  scientific  jargon  may  be  the 
name  of  this  monster  ?  "  asked  Kene. 

"  Arenicola  piscatorum." 

"A  fine  name,  certainly— euphonious,  and  easily 
understood:  arenicola,  an  inhabitant  of  the  sand;  pisca- 


LTJG  OE  LOB-WORM  (Afeiilcoli  pueatonun). 

torum,  sent  into  the  world  for  the  special  benefit  of 
fishers.  You  see  that  at  the  proper  moment  I 
can  be  an  etymologist.  But  tell  me  what  are  these 
tufts  of  small  hairs  disseminated  over  their  bodies  ? 
It  can  scarcely  be  to  prevent  them  from  taking 
colds." 

"  Xo,  the  tufts  of  hairs  are  not  the  furs  of  the  lob- 
worms ;  they  are  really  their  branchiss,  or  respiratory 
organs,  if  you  prefer  that  term." 

"  How  droll  !    So  that,  according  to  you,  these  sea 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  19 

worms  breathe  through  the  sides  of  their  bodies  and 
by  means  of  their  hairs  !  " 

Le*on  might  have  replied  that  in  many  creatures, 
especially  in  worms  and  gasteropod  mollusca,  the 
respiratory  organs  are  placed  in  most  peculiar  posi- 
tions— in  Tritonia,  Glaucus,  and  ScyllaBa,  on  the  sides, 
in  Aplysia  on  the  back,  and  in  Doris  on  the  end  oppo- 
site to  the  head.  He  would  probably  have  made 
this  learned  dissertation,  but  was  deterred  by  the 
fear  of  some  ironical  or  sarcastic  reply  from  his 
cousin. 

But  the  latter  was  at  the  moment  occupied  with  an 
interesting  experiment.  He  had  taken  a  worm  from 
the  fisherman  and  had  placed  it  on  the  damp  sand. 
The  worm,  extending  its  proboscis,  rapidly  buried 
it  in  the  sand,  then,  by  contracting  the  proboscis  at 
the  bottom  of  the  hole,  the  rest  of  the  body  followed, 
and  in  a  few  seconds  the  worm  had  entirely  disap- 
peared. 

"  A  pleasant  journey  to  you !  "  said  Bene*.  Then  in 
a  lower  voice  and  with  a  sententious  air  he  added, 
"And,  really,  it  seems  appropriate  that  an  animal  that 
buries  itself  by  means  of  its  proboscis  should  breathe 
through  its  sides." 

The  rising  tide  was  gradually  covering  the  sands, 
driving  the  fishers  before  it.  From  under  every  stone 
little  crabs  made  their  appearance,  directing  their  side- 
long courses  towards  their  special  element.  Bene\ 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


while  walking,  stooped  from  time  to  time  to  look  at 
them,  and,  his  curiosity  being  sharpened,  he  plied  his 
cousin  with  questions. 

"  Are  star-fishes  animals  ?  " 

"  Yes,  of  course." 

"  And  how  do  they  live  ?  " 

"  Come  along,  I  will  tell  you  afterwards." 

"And  this  pretty  plant,  without  any  stalk,  with 
coloured  petals,  blossoming  in  this  pool  of  water?  " 

"  This  plant  is  an  animal,  and  the  animal  is  called 
a  sea  anemone.  But  come  along,  or  you  will  see  that 
we  shall  be  caught  by  the  tide." 

"Really,  really?  Well,  now,  I  have  a  great  mind 
to  pluck  it." 

"  Well,  pluck  it  and  see  !  " 

But  as  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  take  it  the 
anemone  quickly  closed  itself,  leaving  externally  only 
the  appearance  of  a  gelatinous  shapeless  mass,  not, 
however,  without  having  first  squirted  a  jet  of  liquid 
into  the  face  of  the  young  inquirer. 

"  Not  polite,  dear  beast,  not  at  all  polite  !  "  And 
laughing  at  his  misfortune,  the  two  young  men  quickly 
made  their  way  towards  home. 

Uncle  Bob  was  waiting  for  them  at  the  door.  "  Eh, 
well,  have  you  had  a  successful  fishing  to  begin  with  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"A  very  poor  one,"  said  Rene,  "three  crabs,  one 
star-fish.  Ah!  but  I  was  forgetting;  we  have  also 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


captured  a  sea-urchin,  a  beast  which  possesses  on  its 
own  account  almost  as  many  feet  as  a  whole  squadron 
of  cavalry,  horses  included.  Where  the  deuce  have 
I  put  it  ?  Oh,  here  it  is,  but  the  feet  are  left  behind 
on  the  road." 

And  indeed,  owing  to  the  friction  of  the  pocket,  the 


•"V. 
"THE   SPINES    OF    THE    SEA-URCHIN    HAD    FALLEN    OFF." 

spines  had  fallen  off.  At  their  point  of  attachment 
series  of  tubercles  were  left  like  lines  radiating  from 
the  summit  to  the  base  of  the  creature. 

The  sea-urchin  being  itself  a  little  smashed,  some 
parts  of  its  interior  could  be  seen,  formed  of  small 
pieces  arranged  side  by  side. 

"It  is  an  ill- wind  that  blows  nobody  good,"  said 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


the  doctor.  "This  fracture  will  enable  us  to  learn  how 
sea-urchins  are  able  to  grow." 

The  two  young  men  drew  near  with  an  air  of 
curiosity. 

"  All  these  plates,"  said  the  old  doctor,  "  are  main- 
tained, as  you  may  see,  by  a  very  thin  pellicle ;  this 
skin  constantly  secretes  a  calcareous  substance  round 
the  plates,  which  on  this  account  alt  increase  in  size 
together.  It  is  by  a  similar,  though  much  more 
complicated  process,  that  the  growth  of  animals  and 
man  is  carried  on.  A  small  quantity  is  unceasingly 
being  added  to  the  existing  material,  and  the  young 
animal,  or  the  young  man,  as  the  case  may  be, 
grows  from  one  year  to  another  without  being  aware 
of  it." 

"  In  my  own  case,  I  may  frankly  admit,"  said  Kene", 
"I  have  hitherto  grown  somewhat  after  the  same 
fashion  as  that  in  which  M.  Jourdain  wrote  prose — 
without  knowing  how." 

Le'on,  for  some  moments,  had  been  meditating. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of?  "  asked  his  cousin. 

"  Nothing  of  importance ;  a  strange  coincidence : 
we  have  seen  in  our  short  excursion  the  principal 
types  of  the  animal  kingdom." 

"How,  then?" 

"  You  shall  hear :  the  fishes,  ourselves,  and  the 
sand-eel  are  representatives  of  the  branch  Yerte- 
brata." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  25 

"  Are  the  representatives  !  "  cried  Rene.  "  I  really 
think  you  do  the  sand-eel  a  great  honour." 

"  We  have  seen  the  Annulosa  in  two  of  their  chief 
forms:  crabs  (Crustacea),  marine  worms  (Annelida). 

"The  shells  on  which  we  walked,  and  which  make 
up  a  large  portion  of  the  sands,  belong  to  the  Mol- 
lusca. 

"Finally,  the  star-fish,  the  sea-urchin,  and  sea- 
anemone  are  clearly  and  unmistakably  radiates.  So 
that  you  see  the  collection  is  complete."  * 

"  I  see  that  I  do  not  yet  see.  How  are  the  radiates 
distinguished  ?  " 

"By  the  fact  that  their  organs,  instead  of  being 
arranged  on  either  side  of  the  body  in  pairs,  are 
grouped  round  a  central  axis,  so  as  to  give  rise  to  a 
radiate  or  globular  form." 

"Very  good.    And  the  Annulosa?" 

u  The  Annulosa  have  a  higher  structure :  their 
organs  are  arranged  in  pairs,  they  have  no  internal 
skeleton,  but  their  body  is  made  up  of  a  series  of  rings 
placed  one  behind  another,  sometimes  soft,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  worms,  but  more  often  hard  (in  insects), 
even  shelly  (in  most  of  the  Crustacea)." 

*  The  four  branches  here  indicated  as  composing  the  animal  kingdom  are 
those  proposed  by  Cuvier,  the  great  French  naturalist.  Modern  zoologists 
have  divided  some  of  these  groups,  considering  them  not  to  be  sufficiently 
natural,  and  nine  primary  divisions  of  the  animal  kingdom  are  now  accepted, 
viz.,  Protozoa,  Coalenterata,  Echinodermata,  Vennes,  Arthropoda,  Mol- 
luscoidea,  Mollusca,  Tunicata,  and  Vertebrata.  Some,  however,  do  not 
adopt  the  division  of  the  Mollusca  into  three  groups,  and  accept  only  seven 
sub -kingdoms. — TEANSLATOB'S  NOTE. 


26  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

11  The  vertebrates,  to  which  we  ourselves  have  the 
honour  to  belong,"  added  Kene"  himself,  not  wishing 
to  pass  for  a  complete  ignoramus,  "possess  all  of  them 
an  internal  skeleton,  of  which  the  most  important  part 
is  the  vertebral  column,  or  spine." 

"All,  or  nearly  all/' 

"  What !  are  there  then  vertebrates  that  have  no 
vertebras?" 

"  Only  one  kind :  an  unfortunate  little  fish,  the 
Amphioxus,  is  in  this  anomalous  condition,  as  if  to 
prove  that  all  classifications  are  artificial — made,  in 
fact,  by  learned  men  for  their  own  convenience,  and 
that  in  nature  the  transition  from  one  type  to  another 
is  never  abrupt,  but  occurs  in  a  gradual  manner." 

"  As  to  Mollusca —  But  I  am  afraid  we  must  not 
attempt  to  study  them  to-day,  for  want  of  examples." 

"  On  the  contrary,  here  are  some  splendid  speci- 
mens," said  Uncle  Bob,  opening  the  door  of  the  din- 
ing-room, and  pointing  to  a  pyramid  of  oysters,  with 
their  ponderous  shells,  heaped  upon  the  table. 


III. 

The  beginning  of  conversion — The  star-fish — A  curious  invasion — A  way  oi 
eating  and  a  way  of  running,  by  no  means  proper — Absorption  and 
afterwards— Numerous  posterity — Animals  that  double  themselves  by 
division — What  may  be  seen  on  a  shell — An  aquarium  in  miniature — 
Fairyland  in  a  glass  of  water — What  may  be  found  in  oyster-water — 
Uncle  Bob  himself  asks  to  see— Excursion  in  a  new  world— A  fantastic 
waltz — By  what  means  the  infinitely  small  manage  to  play  an  infinitely 
large  part — A  good  thing  from  Michelet — The  conversion  become 
decided. 


the  repast  Kene*  spoke  but  little.  This 
strange  world,  of  which  he  had  just  caught  a  glimpse, 
could  not  but  more  or  less  disturb  his  mind.  A  little 
ashamed  of  having  hitherto  scarcely  even  suspected 
its  existence,  he  felt  his  usual  carelessness  opposed  by 
the  desire  of  knowing,  and  of  being  himself  able  to 
explain. 

That  unseen  enigma,  that  insoluble  problem — life, 
in  its  wondrous  manifestations,  was  already  attract- 
ing him  with  its  mysterious  power.  There  was  then 
after  all  in  natural  history  something  more  than  a 
mere  glossary  of  queer  words,  and  it  might  be  possi- 
ble to  inquire  into  the  lives  of  the  beings  that  surround 
us  with  the  same  sort  of  interest  that  one  feels  in 
following  the  plot  of  a  play  at  the  theatre. 


28  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

"  At  any  rate,"  he  mentally  concluded,  "as  there  is 
nothing  better  to  do  I  can  but  try  it,  and  if  it  should 
prove  that  I  have  not  in  me  the  stuff  of  which  a 
naturalist  is  made,  I  can  forget  it  all  when  I  enter  the 
express  train  on  my  way  back  to  Paris." 

In  this  state  of  mind  he  went  out  into  the  garden, 
accompanied  by  his  friend  Leon. 

Almost  directly  his  foot  touched  the  star-fish  that 
they  had  recently  brought  from  the  shore,  and  that 
now  lay  motionless  near  the  door  of  the  workroom. 

"  You  told  me  that  this  what-do-you-call-it  was 
a  radiate  animal.  Cannot  you  tell  me  something  more 
about  it?" 

"  Why  trouble  yourself  about  it  ?  "  said  Leon,  smil- 
ing. "  You  have  already  learned  that  it  is  not  for 
eating." 

"  We  do  not  eat  it,  I  understand  well,  but  I  should 
suppose  it  must  eat  for  itself." 

"  Undoubtedly,  and  in  a  most  curious  fashion." 

"As  if  there  could  be  fifty  ways  of  eating.  I  am 
myself  only  acquainted  with  one — the  true,  the  only 
way,  as  in  point  of  fact  we  have  just  exemplified : 
putting  food  into  the  stomach  by  introducing  it  to  the 
mouth,  and  if  you  are  greedy  or  in  a  hurry,  doing  it 
by  two  mouthfuls  at  a  time.  " 

"  The  star-fishes  know  better.  The  stomach  itself 
adopts  the  plan  of  coming  to  the  food.  Notice  in  the 
centre  of  the  fish,  in  the  white  part,  an  opening.  Press 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  29 


a  little.  Good ;  there  is  the  stomach.  At  first  sight 
it  has  the  appearance  of  a  transparent  mass  divided 
into  five  equal  parts;  and  yet  I  am  not  acquainted 
with  a  gizzard  of  greater  power  than  it.  Last  year 
I  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  the  devastation 
committed  on  a  bed  of  mussels  by  star-fishes.  They  had 
settled  on  them  by  millions ;  all  the  rocks  were  covered 
with  them,  and  from  a  little  way  off  appeared  quite 


STAB-FISH  (Asterias). 

red.  When  an  Asterias  wanted  its  breakfast,  it  came 
dragging  along  by  the  aid  of  its  ambulacral  feet  and 
rested  its  stomach  on  the  hinge-joint  of  the  shells  of  a 
mussel.  In  a  few  minutes,  by  the  action  of  the  gastric 
juices,  the  muscles  of  the  hinge  were  dissolved,  the 
stomach  penetrated  between  the  shells  of  the  mussel 
and  carried  on  there  a  suction  so  powerful  that  in  a 
brief  time  nothing  remained  of  the  mussel.  The  foot 
itself,  although  so  difficult  to  detach,  shared  the  same 


3o  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

fate  as  the  other  parts.  The  stomach  of  the  ogre  then 
returned  to  its  normal  situation  and  the  Asterias  made 
a  fresh  move  to  satisfy  its  appetite.  So  thoroughly 
was  this  done,  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  all  the 
mussels  in  the  locality  were  exterminated. " 

"  What  an  appetite!  This  suggests  to  me  another 
question,  not  a  very  delicate  "one.  I  understand 
now  how  they  eat,  but — what  happens  afterwards  ?  " 

"  The  sequel  is  of  primitive  simplicity.  The  stomach 
having  come  out  to  take  its  meal,  comes  out  again, 
when  digestion  is  completed,  to  free  itself  from  the 
residue.  In  this  way  it  is  never  troubled  by  dyspepsia 
or  digestive  pains.  The  star-fishes,  I  may  say  in 
passing,  have  not  taken  out  a  patent  for  their  diges- 
tive process,  or  the  sea-anemones  do  the  same  thing. 
Another  peculiarity  I  must  show  you:  each  star- 
fish is  a  real  Mother  Gigogne.  Look,"  and  with  a 
stroke  of  his  knife  Leon  opened  one  of  the  rays  of  the 
star-fish. 

The  inside  was  filled  with  eggs,  not  larger  than  a 
pin's  head. 

"  How  many  eggs  do  you  think  there  are  in  this 
one  ray  ?  "  asked  Leon. 

"  At  least  two  or  three  thousand." 

"  About  that ;  there  are  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  in 
the  whole  animal.  But  all  the  creatures  of  this  kind 
have  another  and  still  more  curious  way  of  increasing 
their  numbers.  Sometimes  one  of  the  rays  of  the 


/%"-,,. 


r  JS         *%,V1 

.  pml 

*  ^i     Jli'ao 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


33 


Asterias  becomes  detached,  or  a  portion  of  a  sea-ane- 


Stony  Coral. 


Cel/ularia. 


mone  is  broken  off.     At  the  end  of  a  short  time  the 
D 


34- 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


wound  heals,  a  new  ray  is  formed,  and  no  trace  of  the 
accident  remains.  In  due  course  the  amputated 
part,  instead  of  drying  up,  throws  out  buds,  and 
completes  itself  so  well  that  the  end  of  the  injured 


BBYOZOA  ( Moss-animals) . 

Asterias  is   that   it    is   replaced   by  two  whole  and 
healthy  individuals. 

"  From  this  you  may  guess  something  of  the  prodi- 
gality of  life  in  the  bosom  of  the  ocean.  Do  you  wish 
another  example  of  it  ?  Here,  then,  is  an  entire 
aquarium  formed  by  a  simple  shell." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  35 

In  a  small  glass  vessel,  the  bottom  of  which  was 
covered  with  sand,  there  was  to  be  seen  one  of  the 
valves  of  a  St.  James's  shell.  On  its  rough  surface 
this  shell  bore  a  strange  population:  some  Escharae, 
like  stony  concretions  of  rounded  form,  projected  their 
almost  innumerable  arms  on  every  side,  and  these 
moved  themselves  in  all  directions  in  order  to  seize 
their  unseen  prey  ;  sertularians  and  cellularians,  with 
finely  divided  branches,  erected  their  miniature  fronds 
in  the  water,  covered  with  polypes  like  little  flowers ; 
while  fixed  to  the  shell  some  of  the  tube-dwelling 
worms,  twisted  Spirorbis,  Serpulae  of  whimsical  lorms, 
displayed  their  many- coloured  branchiae  at  the  extrem- 
ities of  their  calcareous  coverings. 

Some  other  more  fragile  annelids  were  lodged  in 
the  sand — Terebellee,  Sabellse  ;  these  had  no  calcareous 
covering,  but  grains  of  sand  and  fragments  of  shells 
agglutinated  round  their  bodies  formed  a  mosaic  cloth- 
ing that  almost  entirely  concealed  them.  Kene*,  as- 
sisted by  a  powerful  lens,  examined  all  these  details 
minutely. 

"  Do  you  know  what  I  shall  call  that,"  said  he. 
11  It  is  really  fairyland  in  a  glass  of  water." 

"  Would  you  like  to  see  now  fairyland  in  a  drop  of 
water  ?  Here  is  some  water  from  the  oysters  that  you 
found  so  good.  Let  us  look  for  a  little  at  what  it 
contains  after  it  has  been  kept  a  few  days." 

The  microscope  was  brought  out,  and  placed  in  a 


3 6  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


properly  lighted  spot.  Leon  put  a  drop  of  water 
on  a  glass  slide  and  arranged  it  under  the  object- 
glass. 

"I  also  should  like  to  see/'  said  the  doctor,  "  for 
this  is  among  the  sights  of  which  one  never 
tires." 

It  was  indeed  a  marvellous  exhibition.  In  this 
drop  of  water,  scarcely  larger  than  a  pin's  head,  there 


was  quite  a  world  of  animalculse,  in  a  state  of  activity 
like  a  Parisian  crowd  on  the  boulevards  during  a 
holiday.  Owing  to  their  transparent  bodies,  the 
organs  of  these  singular  animals  could  be  seen,  and 
these  microscopic  beings,  veritable  protei,  constantly 
changed  their  shapes,  sometimes  elongating  themselves 
extremely,  and  sometimes  becoming  as  round  as  a 
ball,  and  the  whole  twisted  and  whirled  about,  with- 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  37 

out  apparent  object,  and  as  if  engaged  in  a  fantastic 
waltz. 

"The  infinitely  small,"  said  the  doctor,  "perhaps 
more  bewildering  than  the  infinitely  great.  These  are 
among  the  largest  of  the  beings  invisible  to  the  naked 
eye ;  and  what  lies  beyond  them  ?  However  much  our 
optical  instruments  are  improved,  however  much  the 
field  of  our  investigations  is  extended,  always  and 


ANISLAXCUL33    IX    WATEE. 


always  new  beings  are  discovered  whose  existence 
was  before  scarcely  suspected,  and  we  find  ourselves 
still  on  the  threshold  of  a  world  that  we  know  not 
yet. 

"  And  none  the  less  this  unknown  universe  surrounds 
us  closely,  penetrates  into  ourselves,  and  develops 
itself  even  within  us.  It  sometimes  forms  the  very 
ground  we  tread  on.  I  was  reading  only  to-day  that 


38  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

at  Bilin,  in  Germany,  they  have  discovered  a  bank  of 
tripoli  more  than  forty  feet  thick  and  extending  over 
a  considerable  distance.  Well,  this  tripoli  is  almost 
entirely  made  up  of  diatoms.  Ehrenberg,  the  micro- 
scopist,  has  succeeded  in  measuring  them,  and  calcu- 
lates their  number  to  be  about  forty  millions  in  a 
cubic  inch. 

"  That  is  something  striking,  is  it  not,  my  friends  ? 
Does  it  not  almost  make  you  dizzy,  and  affect  your 
imagination  with  a  sort  of  awe — the  sentiment,  in  fact, 
expressed  in  this  profound  saying  of  Michelet :  '  In 
fathoming  so  profoundly  the  depths  of  life  I  expected 
to  meet  with  physical  necessities,  but  what  I  do  find 
is  justice,  immortality,  hope  ! ' ' 

"While  speaking,  the  countenance  of  the  doctor  was 
gradually  transfigured  ;  his  eyes  beaming,  his  head 
slightly  thrown  back  with  the  effort  of  thought,  he 
was  standing  leaning  on  the  table,  not  like  a  scientific 
man  making  an  investigation,  but  rather  a  poet  in- 
spired. 

Justice,  hope,  immortality  !  These,  then,  are  the 
supreme  lessons  of  nature.  This  sayant,  who  had  so 
often  contemplated  the  implacable  working  of  death, 
still  spoke  of  immortality ;  this  aged  man  still  spoke 
of  hope  !  The  two  youths  listened  meditating,  deeply 
affected  by  his  tremulous  voice. 

A  complete  silence  Drevailed.  Leon  was  the  first  to 
break  it. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  39 

"  And  are  you  always  longing  for  the  casino  or  some 
pigeon-shooting  ?  "  said  he  to  Bene. 

"  How  soon  shall  we  make  our  next  excursion  ? " 
was  the  only  reply. 

Le"on  was  on  the  point  of  speaking,  when  a  vio- 
lent ringing  of  the  bell  was  heard  at  the  garden 
gate. 


A  new  character— How  a  man  sometimes  looks  like  a  Mister — Father 
Lucas — His  start  in  life — He  had  been  several  times  round  the  world, 
without  thinking  much  of  it — Return  to  the  native  land — What  Father 
Lucas  calls  his  shepherd's  round — Why  Leon  entertained  so  high  an 
opinion  of  the  old  fisherman — Unexpected  news — Uncle  Bob  does  not 
say  all  he  thinks. . 

A  MAN  past  middle  age,  stout,  and  notwithstanding 
his  years  still  hale,  of  serious  aspect,  and  somewhat 
embarrassed  in  his  movements,  owing  to  his  best  Sun- 
day costume,  presented  himself  at  the  door. 

The  country  folk,  who  are  sometimes  as  apt  as  the 
professors  themselves  in  distinguishing  genera  and 
species,  are  well  aware  of  a  profound  distinction  exist- 
ing between  a  man  and  a  sir  or  mister.  The  latter,  who 
may  be  at  once  identified,  even  by  an  unskilled  eye, 
usually  wears  a  suit  of  cloth  of  more  or  less  elegant 
cut,  and  is  invariably  crowned  with  a  hat. 

The  equipment  of  the  man,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
made  up  of  a  blouse  or  stuff  jacket,  a  cap  flat  or 
peaked,  or  a  wideawake  hat,  wooden  shoes  or  nailed 
boots,  more  or  less  thick  according  to  his  occupation. 

Our  new  acquaintance  might  have  been  denned  as 
"  a  man  dressed  like  a  mister."  His  trousers  of  blue 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


cloth,  far  too  large,  flapped  about  his  legs,  which  were 
kept  wide  apart  from  the  habit  of  accommodating  him- 
self to  the  rolling  of  the  ship,  and  under  his  dress  coat, 
the  large  tails  of  which  commenced  almost  at  the 
shoulders,  there  could  be  seen  a  thick  vest  of  brown 
wool. 

He  wore  a  felt  hat  pushed  down  as  far  as  his  ears, 
as  if  to  guard  against  the  wind,  and  his  thick  grey 
hair  was  coarse  and  rigid,  like  the  coat  of  the  wild 
boar. 

Add  to  this,  that,  as  a  curious  bit  of  vanity,  he  wore 
in  his  ears  small  gold  rings,  from  each  of  which  there 
was  suspended  a  little  anchor,  and  that  his  countenance, 
tanned  by  constant  exposure  to  the  sun,  was  sur- 
rounded by  whiskers  and  a  beard  almost  completely 
white,  and  you  will  have  a  tolerably  faithful  portrait 
of  the  new  arrival. 

The  doctor  took  some  steps  towards  him.  lt  Father 
Lucas  !  "  he  said,  and  gave  his  hand  to  the  old  sailor 
as  if  to  encourage  him.  "  But  you  are  rigged  out  in 
your  best  and  got  up  in  grand  style  !  Something 
unusual  and  important  must  be  going  on." 

"  Yes,  Mister  Doctor,"  replied  the  old  man,  turning 
his  hat  round  by  twisting  it  between  the  fingers  in 
which  he  now  held  it.  "I  would  even  venture  to  say, 
sir,  by  your  permission,  something  very  serious." 

"  Let  me  hear  about  it,"  and  Uncle  Bob  opened  the 
door  of  his  study. 


42  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


"  Well,  what  I  wanted  to  say—  The  door  then 
closed. 

"Who  is  this  old  sea- wolf?"  asked  Eene,  some- 
what surprised  at  seeing  his  uncle  receive  a  common 
sailor  with  so  much  familiarity. 

"  A  brave  and  noble-hearted  man,"  replied  Leon. 

This  old  sailor  was  indeed  a  brave  man :  on  great 
occasions  he  wore  on  his  breast  several  medals,  dearly 
bought  by  his  courageous  acts. 

A  cabin-boy  from  his  cradle,  like  the  other  sailors 
of  this  coast,  and  apprenticed  amongst  his  father's 
crew,  his  earliest  memories  were  those  of  a  fisher's  boat, 
where  he  slept  amid  the  damp  nets,  the  spare  sails,  or 
the  empty  hampers.  At  sixteen  years  he  was  per- 
fectly familiar  with  the  navigation  of  his  native 
coasts,  and  when  a  little  later  he  entered  his  country's 
navy,  the  bluejacket  had  soon  become  a  thorough 
sailor. 

Such  countries  as  Australia  and  China,  seemingly 
most  likely  to  cause  astonishment,  had  been  seen  by 
the  young  sailor  with  an  uninterested  eye  and  without 
any  feeling  of  surprise.  The  old  sailors,  during  their 
yarns  in  port  on  Sundays,  or  on  evenings  at  sea,  while 
the  nets  dragged  slowly  through  the  depths,  had 
spoken  of  such  things  and  many  others.  His  educa- 
tion had  begun  and  ended  in  the  year  of  his  con- 
firmation. Naturally  he  had  but  little  imagination. 
Thus  the  many  nations,  black,  yellow,  or  bronzed,  he 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  43 

became  acquainted  with  during  his  voyages  interested 
him,  but  little.  "Skin,  more  or  less  dark,  clothes 
of  a  little  different  fashion :  except  that,  people  like 
you  and  me,"  these  were  all  his  ethnographical 
ideas. 

And  yet,  notwithstanding  his  apparently  unemo- 
tional disposition,  the  love  of  his  native  soil  had 
gradually  made  itself  felt,  and  had  ended,  as  is  so 
frequently  the  case  with  sentiments  of  a  painful 
nature,  by  becoming  a  fixed  idea  by  which  he  was 
completely  possessed.  He  continually  remarked,  "  All 
that  is  not  worth  Trouville."  In  his  childhood  his 
curiosity  made  excursions  into  strange  lands ;  now 
that  he  had  the  lands  themselves  before  his  eyes  he 
saw  them  almost  without  notice.  His  thoughts  went  to 
and  fro  continually  between  Courseulles  and  the  bay 
of  the  Seine,  the  two  spots  that  he  knew  so  well  but 
should  perhaps  never  revisit.  Often  and  often,  when 
he  sailed  amidst  the  verdant  isles  of  the  interior  sea 
of  Japan,  some  touch  of  landscape,  some  tree,  some 
trifle,  would  lead  him  back  to  his  favourite  idea.  If 
some  pagoda  reared  in  the  distance  the  outline  of  its 
quaintly  sculptured  roof  against  the  azure  blue,  it 
recalled  to  him  the  great  tower  of  Ouistreham  or  the 
twin  steeples  of  Delivrande,  and  instinctively  his  ear 
would  endeavour  to  catch  the  sounds  of  the  evening 
hymn  that  the  land  breeze  wafts  to  the  sailor's  ear. 
And  often  of  a  night,  during  the  long  hours  of  his 


44  THE    WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

watch,  while  the  vessel,  with  lights  aloft,  cleaved  with 
its  prow  the  phosphorescent  waves,  and  was  followed 
in  its  wake  by  a  track  of  fire,  Quartermaster  Lucas, 
his  elbow  resting  on  the  stern,  his  eye  losing  itself  in 
the  distance,  would  seek  the  two  white  lights  of  Heve> 
that  gleam  each  night  sweet  and  clear  like  the  looks 
of  a  friend. 

With  such  ideas,  it  will  be  understood  that  our 
acquaintance  would  prolong  his  time  in  the  navy  na 
more  than  necessary,  and  in  fact  he  hastened,  when 
his  dismissal  was  obtained,  to  cast  off  the  blue  jacket 
and  the  lettered  cap,  to  take  up  as  in  the  past  his 
interrupted  fishing,  to  marry  and  found  a  family  of 
sailors :  it  would  be  strange  to  see  a  sailor's  son  who 
was  not  himself  a  sailor.  His  prayers,  however,  were 
not  at  first  all  granted.  Lucas  had  to  begin  with  five 
daughters,  and  only  after  ten  years  had  he  the  great 
satisfaction  of  seeing  at  last  a  son  and  heir. 

At  the  time  our  narrative  commences  the  five 
daughters  are  all  married  to  fishermen.  The  wily 
Norman  has  them  all  established  in  different  localities, 
so  that  almost  wherever  the  chances  of  his  seafaring 
may  take  him  he  is  sure  to  find  a  good  lodging  and 
supper,  besides  the  pleasure  of  seeing  his  child.  This 
he  calls  his  "  shepherd's  round." 

His  son  had  terminated  this  very  year  his  service 
to  the  State. 

Leon  sketched  in  a  few  words  these  details  for  his 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISES. 


cousin.  He  had  certainly  the  best  of  reasons  for 
holding  the  old  fisherman  in  high  esteem,  having 
been  himself  brought  back  by  Father  Lucas  one  day 
when  a  treacherous  current  had  carried  him  too  far 
from  shore.  Although  an  excellent  swimmer,  Leon 
could  no  longer  struggle,  and  was  hastening,  or  rather 
floating,  to  a  certain  death,  when  Lucas  in  his  clothes, 
just  as  he  was,  leaped  into  the  water  and  brought 
him  safely  back,  with  considerable  danger  to  himself. 
All  the  efforts  of  the  doctor  had  not  availed  to  induce 
the  old  sailor  to  accept  any  reward  for  "  so  natural  a 
deed,"  but  from  this  day  forward  the  saviour  of  Leon 
had  the  free  run  of  the  cottage. 

When  the  interview  was  over  the  doctor  opened 
the  door  and  Father  Lucas  said  to  Le"on — 

"  By  the  bye,  1  have  stranded  my  boat  between  the 
baths  and  the  cliff,  and  I  think  you  will  find  some- 
thing to  collect  there.  I  was  obliged  to  do  it,  for  it 
is  my  last  trip." 

The  young  naturalist  looking  at  him  with  an  air  of 
astonishment,  he  added,  half  closing  his  eyes  : 

"  Yes,  it  is  settled.  I  am  to  part  with  my  busi- 
ness." 

"Is  it  possible !  And  who  is  to  be  your  suc- 
cessor ?  " 

"  My  son,  thank  heaven  ! " 

In  this  "thank  heaven,"  there  was  an  accent  of 
fatherly  pride  as  well  as  a  touch  of  regret. 


46  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

To  give  up  after  half  a  century  of  efforts  his 
unceasing  wanderings  on  the  ocean,  no  more  to  leave 
the  dry  land,  was  a  trying  change  of  habits  for  the 
old  sailor,  and  a  sacrifice  rather  than  a  relief. 

The  poor  old  man  seemed  already  to  foresee  that 
while  his  son  would  be  afar  off,  and  himself  fixed  at 
home  like  a  useless  being,  he  should  often  feel  a  long- 
ing for  the  sea,  and  would  miss  the  waves  with  then- 
spray  striking  his  face  and  seasoning  and  hardening 
his  countenance. 

Again,  and  this  not  the  least  of  his  regrets,  he 
must  give  up  seeing  so  frequently  the  numerous 
descendants  who  loved  to  clamber  on  his  knees,  for 
paid  voyages  cost  much,  and  by  a  strange  anomaly 
there  is  no  one  in  the  world  more  stay-at-home  than  a 
sailor  compelled  to  give  up  seafaring. 

As  soon  as  father  Lucas  was  gone,  the  doctor  made 
his  way  to  the  railway  station  at  Trouville,  while  the 
young  folks,  following  the  advice  of  the  fisherman, 
went  on  board  the  Emily,  stranded  on  the  shore,  to 
obtain  a  supply  of  molluscs  and  crustaceans. 

When  the  doctor  returned  in  the  evening,  the  two 
cousins  were  not  a  little  surprised  at  hearing  him 
make  a  long  dissertation  on  the  subject  of  fishing- 
boats,  and  at  his  explaining  the  differences  between 
"  a  tub  "  and  "  a  plate,"  a  clincher-built  yawl  and  a 
plain  yawl,  with  the  thoroughness  of  one  to  the 
manner  born. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


47 


What  can  Uncle  Bob  be  thinking  of?  Is  it  possi- 
ble that  the  doctor  has  somewhat  tardily  decided, 
now  that  Father  Lucas  has  retired  from  the  sea,  him- 
self to  leave  the  hospitals  of  Paris  and  drift  along 
without  any  special  occupation  ? 


V. 

A  varied  harvest— The  sea-mouse — A  microscopic  prray — Trick*  of  the  chase 
and  of  war — Crustaceans  and  Kabyles—  Clanging  armour— The  danger 
of  disarmament— Science  disconcerted— Sacculina  and  its  wonderful 
transformations — Ophiura — Holothuria — Chinese  cookery — A  suicide — 
The  hermit-crah — An  unedif  ying  biography — An  invitation. 

THE  collection  made  on  board  the  boat  had  been 
superb,  and  in  the  receptacles  that  the  cousins  had 
taken  care  to  provide  themselves  with,  there  accumu- 
lated one  after  another  sea-mice  with  brilliant  and 
silky  fleeces,  Chitons  with  imbricated  carapaces,  that 
is,  coverings  formed  by  scales  arranged  after  the 
fashion  of  the  tiles  on  a  roof.  Then  various  kinds  of 
shell-fish :  Oxyrhynchi  with  delicate  bodies  and  spider- 
like  legs;  hermit  crabs  of  greedy  movements,  only 
half  covered  by  their  shells ;  Dromiae  with  grey  and 
velvety  shell  and  rosy  claws;  spider-crabs,  whose 
curious  carapace  contains  amongst  the  inequalities  of 
its  surface  quite  a  world  of  seaweeds,  of  polypes,  and 
of  moss-animals — a  marvellous  sight  when  well  exam- 
ined with  the  aid  of  a  glass;  and  in  addition  a 
strange  collection  of  the  lower  animals.  Holothurians, 
called  by  the  fishermen  sea-cucumbers,  because  of 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  49 

their  elongate  shape  ;  radiates*  masquerading  in  the 
form  of  molluscs ;  ophiurians  with  long  slender  arms 
radiating  from  a  central  disc  ;  Solasters,  great  star-fishes 
with  twelve  broad  rays,  and  of  a  yellow  colour,  thus 
looking  like  so  many  suns. 

In  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  their  receptacles 
were  filled,  and,  well- contented,  they  retraced  their 
road  to  the  laboratory. 

A  sea-mouse  was  the  first  specimen  that  found  its 
way  on  to  the  table. 

As  Rene  was  examining  its  varied  tints  with  much 
delight — 

"Look,"  said  Ldon,  "how  formidably  this  annelid 
is  armed ! " 

And  with  a  pair  of  curved  scissors  he  cut  off  some 
hairs  from  the  Aphrodita,  and  placed  them  under  the 
object-glass  of  the  microscope. 

Everything  in  the  way  of  harpoons,  of  pointed 
instruments,  of  straight  and  curved  sabres,  of  cutting 
and  perforating  arms,  that  an  armourer  could  imagine, 
was  there  represented — a  microscopic  panoply. 

"Your  annelid  is  quite  a  walking  arsenal,"  cried 
Rene.  "  But  what  a  singular  mania  for  a  villainous 
grey  crab  "  (this  far  from  flattering  epithet  related  to 
the  Dromia)  "  to  make  himself  an  overcoat  with  sea- 
weeds." 

*  The  sea-cucumbers  belong  to  the  Echinodermata,  and  are  now,  therefore, 
removed  from  the  Radiata  by  naturalists,  though  they  were  united  therewith 
by  Cuvier. 

E 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


And  in  point  of  fact  the  Dromia,  like  the  spider-crab, 

in 


"QUITE  A  WORLD  OF  POLYPES  ON  THEIR  CARAPACE." 

is  frequently  covered  with  living  animals  and  seaweed 
that  it  carries  about  on  its    shell.      There  is,   how- 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  51 

ever,  this  difference  between  the  two  :  the  Dromia  is 
said  to  be  provided  with  special  claws  for  planting  the 
creatures  on  its  own  back,  where  they  grow  and  some- 
times completely  cover  it,  while  in  the  spider-crab  the 
growth  may  be  due  to  natural  causes.  The  result, 
however,  is  the  same,  and  enables  stratagem  to  supply 
the  place  of  agility,  for  thus  covered  they  are  able 


to  remain  concealed  and  motionless  until  some  prey 
shall  venture  within  reach  of  their  claws. 

In  connection  with  this  it  will  be  recollected  that 
during  the  conquest  of  Algeria  the  natives  on  several 
occasions  made  use  of  a  similar  stratagem,  and  that 
'walking  bushes'  glided  unharmed  during  the  night 
into  the  midst  of  the  advanced  guard.  These  children 
of  the  desert  were  no  doubt  proud  of  their  invention, 
and  had  no  idea  that  they  were  merely  imitators  of  the 
miserable  crabs.  There  is  nothing  new  under  the  sun  ! 


THE    WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


Kene*  had  been  reflecting  for  a  few  minutes,  and  now 
made  up  his  mind  to  speak. 

"  I  was  thinking—  Ah  !  but  you  know  I  am  only  a 
stupid  fellow,  and  know  nothing  of  these  things.  You 
won't  laugh  at  me  ?  " 

"  Speak  out,  and  you  Avill  see." 

"  Very  well.  Uncle  Bob  explained  to  us  the  other 
day  the  mode  of  growth  of  animals — of  everybody,  in 
fact,  But  how  do  the  Crustacea,  as  you  call  them,  all 
this  series  of  creatures  with  rigid  carapace,  clothed  as 
it  were  in  armour,  manage  about  this.  It  strikes  me 
they  must  feel  remarkably  uncomfortable  when  their 
costume  becomes  too  small  for  them." 

"And  it  so  happens  that  these  armour-bearers  do 
not  grow  in  the  same  manner  as  other  animals.  The 
metamorphoses  of  insects  with  their  unyielding  inte- 
guments, and  of  the  crustaceans  with  their  rigid  cara- 
paces, are  in  fact  a  peculiar  mode  of  growth  :  they  grow 
by  stages. 

"  Thus  the  lobster  before  it  becomes  large  enough 
to  grace  our  tables,  and  to  undergo  the  posthumous 
honour  of  la  mayonnaise,  has  had  to  pass  through  about 
a  score  of  moults.  This  is  the  reason  why  you  have 
never  met  with  a  really  infant  lobster.  Their  appear- 
ance quite  changes  as  they  grow  up ;  indeed,  this 
occurs  to  so  great  an  extent,  that  up  to  the  fourth 
moult  they  swim  by  whirling  about,  and  they  are 
thirty  or  forty  days  old  when  they  first  fall  to  the 


TWO  YOUNG   NATURALISTS. 


53 


bottom  and  become  walk-about  animals  for  the  rest  of 
their  days.  Other  crustaceans,  before  attaining  their 
final  form,  pass  through  analogous  metamorphoses. 

"The  moulting  time  must  be,  I  should  think,  a 
most  disagreeable  moment  in  the  existence  of  these 
creatures.  As  a  rule,  the  crustacean  with  his  armour, 
like  a  knight  of  the  Middle  Ages,  fears,  so  to  say, 
no  thing  nor  person.  It  sometimes  happens  that  he 
leaves  a  claw  or  a  leg  on  the  field  of  battle,  but  he 
accepts  his  loss  like  a  Stoic ;  it  grows  again,  and  he 
knows  it.  But  as  soon  as  he  has  shed  his  armour  the 
position  is  quite  different ;  while  awaiting  for  his  new 
cuirass  to  attain  the  necessary  solidity,  this  creature, 
who  was  himself  quite  recently  an  insatiable  Gar- 
gantua,  becomes  a  dainty  mouthful  for  all  sorts  of 
creatures,  including  occasionally  some  of  his  own 
kindred.  Crustaceans  have  not  the  conscientious 
scruples  of  wolves,  who,  so  they  say,  do  not  eat  one 
another.  It  is  worth  seeing,  at  the  moment  of  moult- 
ing, hoAv  carefully  they  conceal  themselves  for  fear  of 
having  to  submit  to  the  same  fate  as  that  to  which 
they  have  submitted  so  many  others." 

"A  fair  requital,  as  things  go  here  below,;>  said 
Bene"  philosophically.  "  If  it  were  not  for  that  the  lot 
of  a  crustacean  would  be  a  too  happy  one.  " 

While  saying  this  he  was  amusing  himself  by  turn- 
ing over  on  the  table  a  great  crab,  whose  hind-body 
was  covered  to  a  considerable  extent  by  a  sort  of 


54  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


transparent  moss,  something  like  agglomerated  soap- 
bubbles. 

"  Sacculina,"  said  Le*on;  "a  singular  parasite  of 
the  crab,  and  one  that  has  for  a  long  time  defied  the 
perspicacity  of  the  learned.  Indeed,  it  was  only  last 
year  that  its  exact  history  was  discovered." 

"  Something  new,  and  yet  true  !     Let  me  hear  it." 

"  With  pleasure.  The  Sacculina,  whose  entire  body 
is  not  represented  by  this  moss  that  you  see,  com- 
mences by  being  a  microscopic  crustacean,  a  Cypris, 
who  comes  quietly,  and  as  if  meaning  no  ill,  and  fixes 
itself  by  one  antenna  to  the  still  tender  hind-body  of 
the  quite  young  crab." 

"  Capital !    And  what  next  ?  " 

"  Then  it  undergoes  a  change.  As  the  habitation 
seems  to  suit  it,  and  it  has  no  desire  to  seek  its  fortune 
elsewhere,  it  establishes  itself  in  this  position,  casts 
off  its  legs,  no  longer  of  any  use  to  it,  and  replaces 
them  by  a  hollow  needle  of  peculiar  structure.  And 
it  is  by  the  aid  of  this  organ,  which  is  a  perforator, 
though  itself  pliable,  that  the  heretofore  Cypris,  turn- 
ing its  outside  inside,  like  a  glove  or  stocking,  glides 
gradually  into  the  interior  of  the  crab. 

"  After  this  it  can  give  up  active  life  and  live  like 
a  lord.  It  finds  in  the  interior  of  its  host  both  bed 
and  breakfast,  and  this  new  arrangement  suits  it  so  well 
that  you  may  almost  see  it  waxing  fat.  This  it  does 
so  thoroughly  that  its  apartment  soon  becomes  too 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


55 


small  for  it,  and  it  is  obliged  to  leave  some  part  of 
its  person  out  of  doors ;  this  part  you  see,  and  this  is 
what  the  learned  term  Sacculina.  I  must  not  omit  to 
mention  that  this  discovery  is  due  to  a  French  pro- 


SEA-CUCUMBEE 


fessor,  M.  Delaage,  and  that  it  cost  him  three  years 
of  observation  and  experiment. 

"Let  us  now  pass  to  another;"  but  as  he  was 
taking  out  of  the  box  a  magnificent  Ophiura,  the 
creature  unfortunately  all  at  once  became  broken. 

"  Confound  the  animal  !  Would  you  believe,"  added 
he,  addressing  his  cousin,  "that  I  have  collected  at 
least  thirty  specimens  of  this  creature,  and  that  I 


56  THE    WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

have  not  yet  secured  an  unbroken  one.  Sometimes  a 
ray  detaches  itself,  sometimes  the  disc  breaks  up. 
Ophiura  fragilis  is  a  well-applied  name.  Let  us  hope 
I  shall  do  better  with  the  Holothuria. 

"  This  is  another  extraordinary  being,  with  retrac- 
tile feet  and  a  mouth  armed  with  tentacles  disposed 
in  star-like  fashion.  But  the  internal  organisation 
is  the  most  curious  feature  in  this  creature.  For 
example,  the  digestive  canal,  in  which  the  stomach 
is  represented  by  a  very  slight  swelling,  ends  in  the 
Holothuria  in  a  small  bladder  containing — you  will 
never  guess  what — the  breathing  organs. 

"  In  this  country  bolothurians,  or  sea-cucumbers, 
are  known  only  to  fishermen  and  naturalists,  and  no 
one  suspects  that  they  are  the  objects  of  a  considerable 
commerce  in  the  far  East." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  any  one  buys  such  a  thing  as 
that  ?  And,  gracious  heavens,  what  for?  " 

"  For  the  manufacture  of  confectionery  that  sells  at 
improbable  prices  in  China  and  Japan.  It  is  a  special 
feast  of  the  yellow-faced  mortals.  But,  between  our- 
selves, even  I  must  admit  that,  all  things  considered, 
I  should  prefer  something  else.'3 

While  he  was  speaking,  the  cucumber,  possibly 
disgusted  at  the  depreciatory  remarks  that  were  being 
made  about  it,  suddenly  expelled  with  violence  all 
the  fluid  it  contained,  as  well  as  a  portion  of  its  ali- 
mentary canal. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  57 

"  Alas,  another  suicide !  "  said  LeVm,  "  and  I 
believe  it  was  our  last  remaining  specimen." 

But  as  he  turned  his  botanical  box  over,  a  large 
hermit-crab  concealed  in  a  corner  fell  out  of  it  on  to 
the  table. 

"The  last  is  the  best,"  said  the  young  naturalist ; 
and,  taking  hold  of  his  captive  by  the  shell,  he  con- 
tinued :  "  Here  we  have  the  most  depraved,  the  most 
immoral,  the  most  cynical,  of  all  the  banditti  and 
corsairs  of  the  sea." 

"  And  yet  bearing  a  venerated  designation,"  said 
Kene*  timidly. 

"Yes,  but  very  inapplicable,  unless  you  are  willing 
to  imagine  that  the  stolen  shell  it  bears  upon  its  back 
is  a  hermitage." 

"  Stolen  !  Is  the  shell,  then,  not  its  own  making  ?  " 

"It  is  completely  incapable  of  making  anything 
whatever.  This  hermit  is  the  personification  of  lazi- 
ness, and  a  shameless  parasite,  living  at  the  expense 
of  all  about  him.  However,  we  must  not  forget  (for 
justice  is  a  good  thing  even  in  the  case  of  shell-fish) 
that  nature  has  been  a  little  unkind  to  it.  Its  body 
is,  in  opposition  to  that  of  all  its  allies,  soft  and 
undefended  by  armour,  except  on  the  head,  legs,  and 
claws.  Now  look." 

And  lighting  a  match  he  slightly  warmed  the  shell. 
The  effect  of  this  proceeding  was  soon  apparent : 
annoyed  by  the  heat,  the  hermit  hurriedly  left  its 


5 8  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

abode  and  shuffled  about  on  the  table  in  a  most 
awkward  fashion. 

"  That  is  the  best  way  of  forcing  it  to  give  up 
possession,"  said  Le*on.  "  Treated  in  any  other  way  it 
is  so  obstinate  that  it  would  allow  itself  to  be  torn  in 
pieces  rather  than  quit.  Obstinacy,  however,  is  one 
of  the  least  of  its  faults. 

"  It  makes  its  debut,  when  still  young,  by  an 
assassination.  Scarcely  out  of  its  cradle,  it  seeks  a 
shell  of  fitting  size  and  instals  itself  therein,  after 
having  as  a  fit  preliminary  devoured  the  owner.  Then, 
undeterred  by  any  remorse,  it  starts  to  seek  its  fortune, 
pillaging  on  all  sides  after  the  manner  of  the  troopers 
and  freebooters  of  the  good  old  times." 

"  A  hermit  certainly  very  like  a  vagabond ;  but, 
when  his  shelter  becomes  too  small,  what  happens  ?  " 

"  He  settles  the  matter  at  once  by  stealing  another. 
Probably  at  first  he  took  possession  of  a  Turbo  shell ; 
now  that  he  is  stronger  it  is  probably  the  shell  of  a 
whelk  or  Buccinum  that  he  seizes.  The  hermit  does 
not  allow  himself  to  be  embarrassed  by  so  trifling  a 
matter.  I  am  acquainted  with  a  collection  in  which 
there  is  a  hermit  that  was  found  in  the  tropics,  and 
has  taken  up  his  abode  in  a  great  helmet  shell,  such 
as  you  may  see  in  the  window  of  a  natural  history 
dealer.  The  claws  of  this  hermit  measured  more  than 
eight  inches. 

"  The  animal  is  by  no  means  one  of  restricted  tastes, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


and  if  you  place  at  its  disposal  in  an  aquarium  some 
snail- shells  of  suitable  size,  it  will  take  advantage  of 
the  opportunity  and  instal  itself  in  one  of  them  with- 
out the  least  bashfulness.  In  the  soundings  made  at 
great  depths  in  the  Atlantic,  hermits  were  met  with 
that,  probably  because  they  could  do  no  better,  had 


"  A    HYPOCRITICAL   OLD   FELLOW." 

excavated  lairs  for  themselves  in  the  bodies  of  sea 
anemones. 

"  Now  you  have  an  account  of  these  hypocritical 
old  fellows,  and  you  will  admit  it  is  far  from  edifying. 
So  we  will  change  the  subject.  To-morrow  I  propose 
that  we  make  a  party  for  some  shrimp-fishing  at  low 


60  TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

water,  and  if  Neptune  and  the  west  wind  favour  us,  we 
shall  have  a  harvest.  I  say  no  more  at  present." 

Meanwhile  Uncle  Bob  had  entered,  and  with  a  happy 
face. 

"  All  is  going  well,"  said  he,  as  if  talking  to  himself. 
"By  the  way,  do  you  know  what  Father  Lucas  told  me 
a  little  while  ago  ?  His  son  is  to  be  married  next 
Wednesday,  and  requests  us  in  due  and  proper  fashion 
to  be  present  at  the  nuptial  ceremony.  You  may  be 
sure  I  have  accepted  for  myself  and  for  you  too." 


VI. 

Start  for  the  fishing — The  surprise  of  Black — A  chameleon  of  the  waters — 
Two  lines  from  Deroulede — The  cuttle-fish's  gift  of  tears — A  strange 
locomotive  apparatus— Black  dyed  afresh — An  ink  used  for  writing  by 
the  ancients — How  Cuvier  wrote  and  drew  the  figures  of  his  "Memoir 
on  Cephalopoda  "—The  cuttle-fish  bone.— Classification  of  the  mollnsca 
— The  spoils  of  the  net :  sea-scorpion,  fishing-frog — Stomach-fishing — 
Twice  eaten — A  singularly  placed  carpenter's  tool— Progressive  wry- 
neck— A  demented  one— Sad  accident — Rene  wounded. 

PUTTING  into  execution  his  project  of  the  previous 
day,  Le'on,  carrying  a  net,  and  taking  with  him  his 
cousin  who,  like  himself,  carried  a  basket  slung  over 
the  shoulder,  gave  the  word  for  an  early  start.  As 
they  left  the  cottage,  Black,  without  waiting  to  ask 
for  leave,  raced  on  in  front  and  appeared  to  thoroughly 
approve  of  this  morning- walk. 

The  two  young  men  were  dressed  nearly  alike :  flat 
woollen  cap,  jacket  closed  in  front,  knickerbocker 
trousers — equipments  showing,  in  fact,  that  their 
fishing  intentions  were  of  a  serious  nature. 

A  keen  observer  would  not,  however,  have  failed  to 
notice  an  evident  difference  between  them.  Le'on, 
looking  browner  than  ever  in  his  well-set-on  red 
bonnet,  was  provided  with  a  basket  of  refreshments, 


62  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


and  in  addition,  like  a  true  naturalist,  had  not  forgotten 
to  take  some  large  flasks,  whose  necks  stuck  out  from 
the  pockets  of  his  jacket. 

His  somewhat  heavy  net  was  well  constructed,  "a 
net  for  a  true  fisherman,"  said  Father  Lucas,  who  had 
been  entrusted  with  its  manufacture ;  but  our  young 
enthusiast  did  not  appear  in  the  least  encumbered  by 
its  weight. 

Bene*  somewhat  pale,  in  a  blue  bonnet,  gave  the 
idea  of  an  operatic  Masaniello,  and  to  complete  the 
resemblance,  he  carried  by  his  side  a  very  miniature 
fishing  basket  suspended  by  a  red  ribbon,  and  flourished 
about  with  grand  gestures  a  net  with  long  handle,  but 
itself  only  about  the  size  of  one's  hand,  the  smallest,  in 
fact,  that  he  could  find. 

The  Parisian  liked  fishing  but  detested  fatigue. 

Suddenly  Black  who,  as  we  have  said,  was  somewhat 
in  advance  began  to  run  round  a  small  lake  left  by  the 
ebbing  tide,  and  to  bark  vehemently. 

"What  can  the  dog  be  doing?"  said  Bene",  "can 
he  too  be  making  discoveries  in  natural  history  ?  " 

They  approached,  and  what  they  saw  might  well 
astonish  any  dog,  or  even  one  who  was,  like  the  owner 
of  Black,  in  search  of  strange  fish.  In  this  novel 
aquarium  there  was  an  animal  of  strange  form  swim- 
ming about,  and  vainly  endeavouring  to  find  an  exit 
to  the  open  sea. 

Figure  to  yourself  a  bag  about  three  inches  long, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  63 

surrounded  by  a  broad  border  ;  from  this  grey  and 
gelatinous  body  a  short  tube  came  out,  and  above  this 
a  head  of  a  shape  defying  definition,  but  recalling 
somewhat  the  head  of  an  elephant,  with  two  square 
eyes,  whose  iris  gleamed  like  molten  gold. 

The  trunk  (if  we  may  so  call  the  curious  appendage 
at  the  end  of  the  animal)  was  abruptly  divided,  form- 
ing eight  short  elastic  arms,  furnished  with  suckers. 
Two  other  processes,  longer  and  more  slender  than 
the  rest  of  the  arms,  each  terminated  in  a  swelling  or 
dilatation  covered  with  suckers. 

The  animal  was  no  doubt  greatly  disturbed  by  the 
evolutions  and  barking  of  Black,  for  it  continually 
changed  its  colour  in  an  abrupt  manner,  at  once  remind- 
ing Kene*  of  the  two  well-known  lines  of  Deroulede — 

"  II  devint  tout  bleu,  de  bleu  devint  rouge, 
De  rouge  violet,  et  de  violet,  mort !  "  * 

"This  introduces  you  to  the  cuttle-fish  or  Sepia," 
said  Le'on.  u  It  is,  like  its  cousin  the  Octopus,  a  great 
destroyer  of  crabs  and  small  fish.  These  it  seizes  with 
its  suckers  as  they  pass,  or  perhaps  destroys  them  by 
the  stroke  of  its  two  clubs.  Its  beak  you  cannot  see 
at  present,  as  it  is  concealed  behind  its  arms,  but  it  is 
very  hard  and  cutting  (I  speak  from  experience),  and 
in  shape  is  not  very  different  from  the  beak  of  a 
parrot." 

*  ' '  He  turned  quite  blue,  from  blue  became  red. 
From  red,  violet,  and  from  violet,  dead  !  " 


64  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

"  Very  good ;  but  that  does  not  explain  by  what 
means  the  Sepia  can  so  change  its  colour." 

"  The  method  is  very  simple.  In  the  interstices  of 
the  skin  there  are  globules  of  different  colours.  And 
in  accordance  with  the  impressions  made  on  the 
animal,  these  globules  are  expanded  or  contracted, 
and  so  produce  the  strangest  effects. 

"  But  the  most  curious  point  is  that  not  only  can 
the  Sepia  become  pale  and  change  its  colour,  but  it 
appears  also  to  have  the  gift  of  tears.  At  any  rate,  their 
eyes,  like  our  own,  are  well  supplied  with  lachrymal 
glands ;  but  as  for  telling  you  what  sort  of  event 
would  be  likely  to  bring  tears  from  the  eye  of  a  cuttle- 
fish, I  must  admit  I  cannot,  for  I  have  no  trustworthy 
information. 

"  The  tube  which  ends  at  the  edges  of  the  sac 
serves —  But  wait  a  minute,  the  creature  itself  is 
going  to  show  us  its  use." 

The  Sepia  was  just  then  close  to  the  edge,  and  Ldon 
stooped  as  if  to  take  it  up,  and  seeing  this  the 
cephalopod  contracted  the  tube  and  ejected  the  water 
it  contained,  and  the  rebound  caused  by  this  was 
sufficient  to  take  it  to  the  middle  of  the  pool. 

"  A  most  singular  way  of  walking  backwards," 
said  Kene",  and  then  going  roundabout  he  adroitly 
caught  the  Sepia  in  his  net  and  laid  it  on  the  sand. 

Black,  who  had  watched  all  his  movements,  at  once 
ran  two  or  three  times  round  the  quiescent  creature, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  65 

then  suddenly  stretching  his  legs,  he  leaped  forward 
in  order  to  seize  it. 

But  the  Sepia,  too  quick  for  him,  ejected  by  its  tube 
a  thick  black  ink,  that  completely  inundated  the  un- 
fortunate Black. 

The  dog  fled  howling  away,  and  without  looking 
to  right  or  left,  made  straight  as  an  arrow  for  home. 
The  two  cousins  were  ready  to  die  with  laughing. 

"  Ah,  ah  !  "  cried  Kene,  "  a  useful  lesson.  That 
shows  what  one  may  get  by  quarrelling  with  those 
one  does  not  know !  Poor  Black,  discomfited  and 
dyed  by  a  cuttle-fish.  However,  come  here,  doggy, 
and  I  will  console  you.  Black,  Black  !  " 

But  the  dog  did  not  hear  him.  Continuing  his  head- 
long course,  he  was  already  disappearing  amongst  the 
first  houses. 

"I  must  not  say  much  about  it,"  added  his  master, 
"  for  I  must  admit  I  might  have  been  similarly  taken 
in  myself.  Who  could  have  guessed  that  such  a  crea- 
ture contained  in  its  inside  a  syringe  full  of  ink,  ready 
for  use  against  any  rash  person  ?  There  must  have 
been  at  least  a  shilling's-worth.  But  I  should  like  to 
know  whether  one  could  write  with  it." 

u  So  well,"  replied  Leon,  "that  in  point  of  fact,  the 
ancients  scarcely  knew  of  any  other  ink.  It  is  only 
since  their  time  that  the  progress  of  chemistry  has 
enabled  us  to  obtain  other  means  of  a  more  accessible 
and  less  costly  nature  for  use  on  paper.  Cuvier,  I 
F 


66  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

believe,  was  the  last  to  put  the  sepia  ink  to  an  impor- 
tant use.  As  a  fit  whim  for  a  scientific  man,  he  made 
use  of  it  to  write  his  memoir  on  Cephalopoda,  and  to 
make  the  drawings.  But  I  say,  we  are  not  making  a 
bad  bag  to-day.  I  had  already  some  calamaries  and 
squids,  cuttle-fish  allied  to  the  Sepia,  in  my  collection, 
and  this  specimen,  after  it  has  been  prepared  so  as  to 
render  the  organs  visible,  and  placed  in  alcohol,  will 
make  a  splendid  specimen.  The  only  portion  of  a 
Sepia  I  previously  possessed  was  their  flat  bone,  with 
which  you  are  no  doubt  acquainted." 

"  What !  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  the  flat 
biscuits  given  to  birds  to  sharpen  their  beaks  on  are 
obtained  from  these  fish?" 

"  The  Sepia  is  not  a  fish." 

"  And  yet  it  is  not  a  radiate  ;  still  less  an  annelid; 
nor  a  mollusc." 

"Why  not?" 

"Well,  because  the  Sepia  is  far  too  knowing  a 
creature,  and  far  too  complicated  in  structure,  to  take 
a  place  in  the  family  of  oysters  and  mussels ;  as  I 
am  sure  Black  would  confirm  if  he  could  speak.  And 
besides,  as  you  know,  the  cuttle-fish  have  no  shells." 

"  That  is  true,  but  their  near  relatives,  the  argo- 
nauts, have.  Moreover,  on  such  grounds  the  great 
slugs  would  also  not  be  mollusca." 

"  Quite  so,  although  I  admit  that  it  did  not  occur  to 
me  before.  But  then  you  neglected  to  tell  me  the 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  67 

other  day  how  the  mollusca  may  be  recognised  and 
into  what  categories  they  are  divided." 

"The  mollusca  are,  as  their  name  indicates,  creatures 
with  soft  bodies  and  without  either  external  or  internal 
skeleton,  for  it  would  be  going  too  far  to  call  the  one 
bone  of  the  Cephalopoda  a  skeleton.  Some  of  them 
are  uncovered,  others  are  protected  by  a  shell.  They 
are  divided  into  four  classes  :  first,  the  Cephalopoda, 
which  have  the  feet  placed  around  the  head.  To 
these  belong  the  Octopus,  the  Sepia,  the  squid." 

"These  certainly  ought  to  be  the  most  fleet  of 
animals,"  interrupted  Bene. 

u  o   9   9   9  » 

"  Because  they  have  always  their  legs  on  their 
neck."  * 

"  Is  it  impossible  to  induce  you  to  be  serious  ?  The 
second  class  is  that  of  Pteropoda,  a  not  very  numerous 
group  of  animals  inhabiting  the  great  seas,  having  a 
fin  placed  on  each  side  of  the  mouth :  examples,  Clio 
and  Hyale.  We  shall  not  meet  with  any  of  them  in 
the  waters  of  the  Channel,  so  I  pass  them  by. 

"  Finally,  the  last  two  classes  are  named  respectively 
the  Gasteropoda,  from  the  mode  of  progression  of  the 
animals  that  compose  the  group,  the  lower  part  of  the 
body  forming  a  sort  of  sucker  or  fleshy  foot,  by  the 
aid  of  which  they  drag  themselves  hither  and  thither. 

*  Rene's  joke  is  lost  in  translation.  To  "  have  the  legs  on  the  neck  "  is 
in  English  to  take  to  one's  heels.  Thus  the  Cephalopoda  are,  in  French, 
always  taking  to  their  heels,  but  in  English  this  is  not  the  case. 


68 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


To  this  belong  snails,  top -shells  or  trochi,  the  cowries, 
the  helmet-shells,  and  the  buccini  or  Triton's  shells. 
It  is  in  this  group  that  we  find  the  mollusca  of 
greatest  beauty  and  most  varied  forms.  Lastly,  the 


Murex. 


JIaliotis. 


GASTEEOPOD    MOLIAJSCA. 


Acephala,*  or  if  you  prefer  it,  the  molluscs  that  have 

no  head." 

"  Animals  without  a  head  !     How  absurd." 

"  I  am  not  joking.    Have  you  ever  seen  the  head 

of  a  mussel  or  of  an  oyster  ?  " 

"  You  are  right,"  said  the  Parisian,  a  little  abashed 

at  his  own  boldness,  "but  I  admit  this  did  not  occur 

*  The  name  Acephala  has  suffered  many  -vicissitudes  since  the  time  of 
Cuvier,  and  the  group  of  mollusca  without  heads  is  now  usually  termed 
Lamellibranchiata,  or  by  some  Conchifera. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  69 


to  my  mind  before.  For  this  reason  the  Acephala 
may  really  be  the  most  molluscous,  the  most  stupid 
of  all  the  mollusca.  And  indeed  to  pass  one's  entire 
existence  in  a  closed  box  can  scarcely  be  productive 
of  much  intelligence.  But  we  have  lost  a  good  quarter 
of  an  hour  between  our  mollusca  and  the  Sepia,  and 
the  shrimps  await.  Advance,  and  let  us  try  the  fortune 
of  the  net." 

And  the  two  young  men,  up  to  their  waists  in  the 
water,  plied  their  nets  on  the  bottom.  The  first 
attempt  was  successful ;  Eene  brought  up  from  the 


ACEPHALOUS  MOLLUSC.      RAZOR-FISH  (Solen  ensis). 

bottom,  besides  a  handful  of  lively,  leaping  shrimps, 
a  fish  with  broad,  spiny  fins,  and  body  covered  with 
thorns.  An  enormous  mouth  was  the  accompaniment 
of  an  extremely  broad  head. 

It  was  a  bull-head,  or  sea- scorpion  (Cottus  scorpius), 
a  veritable  Quasimodo  in  the  watery  world.  This  fish 
is  rejected  by  the  French  fishermen  on  account  of  its 
small  size  and  very  oily  flesh.  But  in  some  parts  of 
Norway,  where  the  Cottus  is  very  abundant,  an  oil  is 
extracted  from  its  liver,  and  is  probably  credited  to  the 
cod  and  sold  as  such. 

Both  in  France  and  Norway  the  sea-scorpion,  as 


7° 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


depraved  in  morals  as  it  is  unprepossessing  in  appear- 
ance, belongs  to  the  detestable  fraternity  of  loiterers 
and  prowlers.  Lying  in  ambush  behind  some  bunch 
of  seaweed,  like  the  parties  in  question  concealed  in  a 
doorway,  it  throws  itself  suddenly  on  some  fish  who 
may  be  passing  near  unsuspicious  of  any  danger ;  and 


FISHING -FKoa  (Loph'ws piscatorius,  Lin.). 

its  multitudinous  misdeeds  have  earned  for  it  the 
cognomen  of  sea-devil,  a  name  which  it  shares,  how- 
ever, with  the  fishing-frog  (Lophius  piscatorius,  L.). 

"  This  again  is  another  wily  and  knowing  fellow. 
You  must  often  have  seen  this  large  fish  in  the 
markets ;  it  has  a  repulsive  appearance,  a  very  broad 


TWO  FOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


body  with  an  enormous  mouth  surmounted  by  two 
long  filaments  terminating  above  in  bright,  shining 
surfaces.  Possibly  even  you  may  have  asked  yourself 
what  means  a  fish  of  such  awkward  form  and  appear- 
ance could  adopt  to  satisfy  its  hunger. 

"  Well,  it  is  done  by  counting  on  the  faults  of 
other  fish,  in  the  same  way  as  man  himself  only 
too  often  takes  advantage  of  the  vices  of  his  kind. 
The  fishing-frog  spreads  its  snare,  relying  with  good 
reason  on  the  greediness  and  inquisitiveness  of  its 
neighbours.  Buried  in  the  mud,  it  vibrates  the  fila- 
ments above  its  head,  until  some  fish  thoughtlessly 
comes  loitering  around  this  novel  bait.  Then — 
you  may  guess  the  sequel.  The  capacious  maw  opens, 
entombs  the  victim,  and  the  game  is  recommenced. 

"The  market-women  sometimes  speculate  on  the 
voracity  of  the  fishing-frogs,  and  purchase  them  at  a 
low  price,  on  the  strength  of  what  they  may  contain. 
The  fishing-frog  swallows  its  prey  in  a  gluttonous 
fashion  without  any  mastication,  and  they  often  find 
in  its  stomach  fish  but  little  damaged,  and  sell  them 
to  customers  who  are  not  very  observant." 

"And  is  this  done  frequently  ?"  asked  Kene*,  for 
the  idea  that  he  might  have  eaten  a  sole  fished  from 
the  stomach  of  one  of  these  rascals  did  not  at  all  please 
him. 

"  Possibly  oftener  than  you  think,"  replied  his 
cousin.  "But  let  us  now  see  what  my  luck  has  been. 


72  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


Xo  doubt  the  bottom  not  far  from  here  is  rocky,  for  I 
have  found  a  rock-shrimp,  or  as  it  is  commonly  called 
prawn,  the  scientific  name  being  Palcemon  serratus, 
the  saw-bearing  palaemon. 

"  You  would  never  guess  where  the  prawn  carries 
his  carpenter's  tool ;  it  is,  if  you  please,  on  its  head, 
and  does  not  use  it  as  an  instrument  to  work  with, 
but  as  a  defensive  weapon.  The  saw  is  so  placed  that 


I 


THE  PKA'WX  (Palcemon  serratus). 

a  fish  cannot  swallow  the  prawn  head-first  without 
running  the  risk  of  being  choked.  The  Palsemon  is 
well  aware  of  this,  and  thus  from  fear  he  keeps  his 
face  to  the  enemy." 

Leon  was  on  the  point  of  dipping  his  net  into  the 
water  again,  when  Bene*  stopped  him  by  a  gesture. 

"Wretch,  that  you  are;  why,  you  are  throwing  away 
a  whole  dish  of  fish  !  I  suppose,  however,  it  would 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  75 


not  be  right  to  kill  these  little  plaice  and  liliputian 
dab-fish,  for  a  little  fish  grows  to  be  a  great  one." 

And  he  pointed  with  his  finger  to  five  or  six  little 
Pleuronectes,  about  half  an  inch  long. 

"  Look  at  them,  well,"  said  Le*on,  holding  them  in 
his  hand,  "  and  tell  me  how  their  eyes  are  placed," 

"  Like  the  eyes  of  other  land-plaice — I  beg  pardon, 
I  should  say,  other  plaice  from  the  sea.  I  fancy, 


COMMON  SHRIMP  (Cmngon  vulgaris). 

however,  that  these  have  their  eyes  placed  in  not 
quite  so  straight  a  line  as  their  larger  relatives.  .To 
what  is  that  due  ?" 

"To  their  peculiar  habits.  When  born,  they  are 
symmetrical  in  shape,  like  other  fish  ;  then  gradually 
the  habit  of  resting  on  the  sand  compels  the  fish  to 
carry  the  head  on  one  side,  which  thus  becomes 
deformed  and  then  quite  fixed." 

"A  sort  of  permanent  wryneck,  then!  It  is  cer- 
tainly very  strange.  But  now  it  is  my  turn.  Another 


76  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  Of 


fish  !  It  has  a  rather  mischievous  appearance,  with  its 
black  spines,  and  its  eyes  on  the  top  of  its  forehead. 
Is  it  also  a  devil  of  a  third  sort  ?  " 

"  Let  it  go,  let  it  go  !  "  cried  Le'on.  "  It  is  a  crazy 
fish."  (The  fishermen  of  the  Boulogne  region  fre- 
quently designate  the  Trachinus  vipera,  or  lesser  wee- 
ver.  by  this  name.) 

Rene",  however,  put  his  hand  to  the  bottom  of  the 


•tt-EEVEB  FISH  (Ti-Ucli'niHx  ilfiin,.  Lin.). 

net,  but  as  soon  as  he  touched  the  fish  he  rapidly 
withdrew  it,  uttering  a  cry  of  pain. 

"Wounded!  and  I  had  warned  you,"  said  Leon. 
"  Fortunately  I  have  brought  with  me  some  ammonia., 
as  I  usually  do." 

And  after  rubbing  the  wound,  he  took  his  hand- 
kerchief and  bound  up  the  injured  hand. 

"  It  is  of  no  importance,"  said  Rene",  making,  how- 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


77 


ever,  a  grimace  that  completely  belied  his  words.     "It 
is  nothing." 

But  the  pain,  which  was  very  acute,  soon  extended 
to  his  arm,  and  a  nervous  shivering  caused  his  teeth  to 
chatter,  almost  as  if  with  intense  cold. 


GUBNARD  (Trigla,  Cuv.). 

"Let  us  get  back  as  quickly  as  possible,"  said 
Le"on ;  "  it  is  the  best  thing  we  can  do  now." 

And  taking  the  two  nets,  with  the  wounded  arm 
resting  on  his  shoulder,  and  feeling  seriously  grieved, 
he  followed  the  road  that  Black  had  traversed  a  little 
while  before. 


VII. 

•Symptoms  that  may  arise  from  the  wound  of  the  -weever-fish— The  poison- 
ous structures  of  the  weever — Classification  of  fishes — A  fanciful 
etymovogy — A  shark's  breakfast,  according  to  Muller — More  strange 
names — Why  fishes  that  live  near  the  surface  in  the  water  cannot  pene- 
trate to  great  depths — L/ife  in  the  abysses  of  the  ocean — How  a  simple 
thread  sufficed  to  overturn  the  theories  of  scientific  men — Researches 
made  by  the  English,  Swedish,  and  Ameri-jans.  Explorations  of  the 
Travailleur  and  Talisman — Surprising  results — Remarks  by  Rene — The 
invalid's  nightmare. 

THE  prick  of  the  smaller  weever-fish  is  not  danger- 
ous if  cauterised  at  once.  Nevertheless  the  doctor 
thought  it  advisable  to  slightly  open  the  wound,  and 
then,  having  dressed  it,  prescribed  two  or  three  days' 
rest  for  the  patient.  The  seaside  excursions  were 
therefore  for  a  time  postponed. 

"  You  may  congratulate  yourself  on  having  escaped 
so  easily,"  said  the  doctor,  as  he  placed  the  last 
bandage  in  its  position.  "I  have  seen  some  cases, 
where  the  wound  was  deeper  and  not  attended  to  in 
time,  in  which  erysipelas  and  mortification  ensued, 
and  the  injured  finger  required  amputation.  " 

The  new  naturalist  made  a  rather  awkward  grimace. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  quite  sure,  Uncle  Bob,  that  it 
will  not  come  to  that,  this  time  ?  " 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  79 

"  Egad !  If  I  were  at  all  uneasy,  do  you  think  1 
should  have  said  anything  to  you  about  it  ?  " 

Kene'  was  soothed  by  this  argument. 

"  Is  it  then  a  real  poison,  like  that  of  the  viper,  that 
exists  in  the  sting  of  this  horrid  creature,  the  Trachi- 
nus  viper  a  ?  "  said  he. 

u  I  know  nothing  on  the  subject,"  said  Le'on.  "  A 
good  deal  of  inquiry  has  been  devoted  to  it,  but  up 
to  the  present  time,  without  very  much  result,  I 
believe." 

"  But  I  know,"  said  the  doctor.  "  The  poisonous 
instrument  of  the  weever  is  now  understood,  but  it  is 
only  quite  recently ;  *  for  until  now  its  delicate 
structure  had  caused  it  to  escape  the  researches  of 
investigators." 

The  worthy  gentleman  then  placed  his  glasses  in 
position  on  his  nose,  took  up  a  pencil  and  a  large 
sheet  of  white  paper,  so  as  to  be  able  to  complete  his 
demonstration  by  an  off-hand  sketch,  and  commenced 
as  follows  : — 

uThe  apparatus  in  question  consists  of  a  very 
strong  spine,  divided  internally  into  two  channels, 
and  covered  at  its  extremity  by  a  membrane.  This 
membrane  is  apparently  arranged  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  poison  under  ordinary 

*  "  Recherches  faites  au  Laboratoire  de  Physiologic  maritime  du  Havre," 
par  M.  A.  Bottard,  presentees,  comme  these  inaugurale,  par  M.  A.  Gressin,  et 
editees  sous  le  titre  :  Contribution  a  T  etude  de  Fappareil  a  venin  chez  lea  poisson* 
du  genre  Vive.  A.  Daw  editeur. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


circumstances.  Each  of  these  channels  terminates  at  its 
base  in  a  sort  of  conical  cavity,  filled  by  a  whitish  sub- 


HKAT)  OF  THE   WEEVKB. 

o.  Sheath  of  the  spine.     E,  Spine,     c,  Follicle  wi 


SECTION  THBOTTGH  THE  MIDDLE  OF  THE  SPINE. 

v,  Blood-vessels,     p,  Skin  and  connective  tissue.     0,  Prolongation  of  gland. 


SECTION  OF  SriXE  AT  THE  BASE. 

P,   Skin.     E,   Cartilage.      c,   Gland-cells,      or,   Granular  part,     a,   Gland  with 
epithelial  contents  and  connective  envelope,  in  the  cartilage. 

stance — a  sort  of  gland  formed  by  cells.    Some  of  these 
are  very  large,  and  some  have  the  appearance  of  having 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


been  ruptured  by  the  pressure  of  the  liquid  within 
them. 

"This  liquid  is  the  poison.  If  one  touches  the 
extremity  of  the  spine  with  the  finger"  (Eene  here 
made  a  gesture  indicating  that  to  have  done  it  once 
was  quite  sufficient)  "  one  soon  sees  exude  at  the  tip 


SEA-LAMPEEY  (Petromyzon  marinus,  Lin.). 

a  limpid  drop,  of  a  bluish  colour  when  the  animal  is 
living,  but  opalescent  after  it  has  been  dead  some 
hours.  As  to  the  nature  of  the  poison,  there  is  reason 
for  believing  that  it  produces  nervous  spasms." 

"How  annoying  !  And  I,  too,  who  was  taking  so 
well  to  zoology !  However,  I  have  now  the  right  to 
consider  myself  a  martyr  to  science ;  and  meanwhile 


84  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


I  request  that  I  may  be  instructed  in  the  method  of 
the  classification  and  determination  of  fishes,  that  a 
similar  misfortune  shall  not  happen  to  me  again." 

"  "With  pleasure,"  said  Leon.  "  Fishes  are  divided 
into  two  great  classes,  the  bony  fishes,  and  the  carti- 
laginous fishes." 

"  So  that  in  order  to  recognise  them  one  must  first 


SHABP-NOSED  BAY  (Raja  oxyrhyndtHs,  Lin.). 

dissect  them  ?  Not  a  convenient  method  at  all.  How- 
ever, let  us  continue." 

"The  cartilaginous  fishes  are  themselves  divided 
into  three  orders: — 

"  1.  The  sturgeons. 

"  2.  The  Cyclostomi,  or  suckers,  in  which  the  mouth 
is  suctorial.  Type,  the  lamprey. 

"  3.  The  selachian  fishes  (rays,  sharks,  sea-hounds): 
a  family  essentially  voracious,  and  great  feeders." 


TWO  YOUNG  ATATURALISTS. 


"By  the  way,  do  you  know  what  is  the  etymology 
of  the  word  requin  ?"  (the  French  for  shark). 

"Well,  it  is  from  the  Latin  word  requiem,  because 
when  a  man  falls  into  the  sea  near  a  shark,  the 
requiem  or  office  for  the  dead  may  be  said  for  him. 
These  fishes  are  not  epicures,  and  their  voracity,  as 


SWOKD-FISH  (Xiphiax  gladiiis,  Lin.). 

everybody  knows,  induces  them  to  seize  on  all  kinds 
of  food.  And  as  may  be  supposed,  many  tales,  more 
or  less  improbable,  have  arisen  from  this.  For 
instance,  the  Danish  naturalist,  Miiller,  gravely  states 
that  in  the  Mediterranean,  near  St.  Margaret's  Isle,  a 
shark  was  captured  weighing  more  than  fifteen  hun- 


86 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


dred  pounds,  and  in  the  body  of  the  said  shark  there 
was  the  corpse  of  a  horse  quite  entire." 

"  With  the  four  shoes  on  the  feet  ?  That  appears  to 
me  rather  difficult  of  digestion." 

"  However  that  may  be,  the  cartilaginous  fishes 
comprise  the  sharks,  sturgeons,  and  lampreys." 


THE  TUNNY  (Scomber  thijuitus,  Lin.). 

"And  how  do  you  distinguish  the  bony  fishes  ?" 
"  By  the  position  of  the  fins  and  of  the  gills,  and 
the  form  of  the  jaws.  And  it  is  from  these  that  their 
uncouth  names  are  derived,  almost  enough  to  make 
you  shudder :  to  begin  with,  the  Acanthopterygii,  the 
dorsal  fin  of  which  is  furnished  with  spiny  rays  :  ex- 
amples, the  gurnard,  the  tunny,  the  sword-fish.  Next 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


the  Malacopterygii,  which,  according  as  their  ventral 
fins  are  placed  more  or  less  backwards,  are  called  abdomi- 
nales  (carp,  pike,  salmon,  herrings),  subbranchii  (cod, 
whiting,  flat-fish) ;  if  these  fins  are  altogether  absent, 
as  in  the  eels,  they  are  called  Apodes.  Finally  we 
come  to  the  Lophobranchii,  with  the  gills  placed  in 


THE  BUFF  (Perca  cerntia,  Cuv.). 

tufts  (Hippocampus,  or  sea-horses),  and  the  Plectog- 
nathi,  a  small  family  of  fish  with  the  maxillary  and 
intermaxillary  bones  united :  examples,  the  Diodon,  or 
porcupine  fish.  That  is  the  end  of  the  puzzle." 

"  Eeally,  you  are  not  too  exacting.     But  the  jargon 
is  not  merely  Greek,  it  is  Ivirghise  or  Cossack — such 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


words  as  acanthopt  .  .  ,  and  malacopt  .  .  ;  and  as  in  the 
matter  of  all  foreign  languages  my  education  has  been 


COMMON  CAEP  (Cijpiinus  carpio,  Lin.). 


equally  neglected,  please  talk  to  me  of  marine  animals 
for  the  future  in  my  own  tongue.     Happy  fishes  ! " 


SOLE  (Pleuronectes  solea,  Lin.). 

added  he  with  a  sigh  of  envy,  "  they  have  indeed 
plenty  of  elbow-room,  and  must  be  able  to  make 
magnificent  excursions  in  their  immense  domain." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


"Much  less  than  you  suppose/'  said  Uncle  Bob. 
"  Each  kind  of  fish,  like  the  terrestrial  animals,  has  its 
area  of  distribution,  beyond  which  it  cannot  pass.  In 
the  case  of  many  species  the  great  currents  of  the 
ocean  form  an  impassable  barrier.  Here  is  an  instance 
of  it.  Formerly  the  shoals  of.  herring  came  by  way 


TUEBOT  (PJeiironectes  max  t  mm,  Burbo.). 

of  the  North  Sea,  along  the  coasts  as  far  as  the  mouth 
of  the  Seine,  but  at  present  they  scarcely  come 
beyond  Etretat.  Some  imperceptible  change  in  the 
condition  of  the  bottom,  in  the  composition  of  the 
water,  or  perhaps  in  the  direction  of  the  currents,  and 
these  innumerable  hosts  at  once  quit  their  old  habits 
and  change  their  route." 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


"  But  probably  they  obtain  their  compensation  by 
making  some  fresh  excursions  at  greater  depths. 
There  must  be  scattered  over  the  ocean  some  im- 
mensely deep  places ;  and  when  a  fish  is  tired  of  the 
surface,  I  imagine  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  his 


SUBMARINE  EXPLORATIONS  OF  TILE  ' '  TALISMAN. ' '      SPONGE  (Holtmid). 

going  lower  down  and  ruralising  at  a  depth  of  say 
eight  or  ten  thousand  feet." 

'*  No,  no  !  This  very  year  some  curious  observations 
have  been  made  on  this  subject.  Without  being  a 
great  physicist,  you  may  be  aware  that  the  pressure 
increases  in  proportion  to  the  depth.  Well,  it  was 
desired  to  find  out  how  fish  behave  at  pressures  of 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  93 


two  hundred,  three  hundred,  and  even  five  hundred 
atmospheres.  The  result  of  the  experiments  proved 
that  fish  that  live  near  the  surface  can  only  descend 
to  a  comparatively  slight  depth;  under  an  increased 
pressure  they  die ;  and — this  is  very  remarkable — the 
water  being  forced  into  their  tissues,  their  body 


SUBMARINE  EXPLORATIONS  OF  THE  "  TALISMAN."      SPONGE   ( 


becomes  rigid  and  brittle  as  glass.  Naturally,  the 
simpler  the  organisation  of  the  creatures,  the  greater 
is  their  power  of  resistance,  and  a  pressure  that  is 
sufficiently  great  to  kill  a  fish  only  stuns  a  crab,  and 
apparently  does  not  produce  much  effect  on  a  radiate 
or  a  mollusc." 


94 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


"Under  such  conditions  life  must  be  fearfully 
monotonous  at  these  great  depths.  A  dreadful  dark- 
ness, a  solemn  silence,  and  the  only  inhabitants  two 
pallid  star -fish  and  three  colourless  anemones.  Pheugh ! 
it  makes  me  shudder  only  to  think  of  it." 

"  Until  the  last  few  years  every  one  would  have 
agreed  with  you,  including  even  the  most  accomplished 


STJKStAEIXE  EXPLORATIONS  OF  THE  "  TALISMAN."    Eltsto 
DISCOVERED  AT  A  DEPTH  OF  8,800  FEET. 


naturalists.  Judging  from  what  they  could  see,  they 
had  decided  that  life  was  impossible  at  great  depths,  and 
had  anyone  ventured  to  say  the  contrary,  they  would, 
in  a  professional  and  mathematical  manner,  have  proved 
that  he  knew  nothing  about  it  and  was  a  fool." 

"  Ignorant  men  of  knowledge  !     But  who,   then, 
demonstrated  their  error?" 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


95 


"  A  thread.  In  1861  the  submarine  cable  laid 
between  Sardinia  and  Algeria  broke,  at  a  depth  of 
more  than  6,500  feet.  It  was  fished  up,  and  you  may 
imagine  the  astonishment  of  naturalists  when  there 
was  found  adhering  to  this  cable  a  whole  colony  of 
polypes,  of  annelids,  and  of  shells.  Some  of  the 
species  thus  discovered  were  unknown  in  the  Mediter- 


STTBMAKINE  EXPLOBATION  S  OF  THE  "TALISMAN. 


ranean  waters,  and  others  had  been  met  with  pre- 
viously only  in  the  state  of  fossils.  So  that  this  was 
greeted  as  a  happy  revelation,  and  Milne-Edwards,* 
feo  whom  the  pieces  of  the  cable  had  been  confided, 
went  so  far  as  to  say  that  '  such  discoveries  were  well 

*  Milne-Edwards,  one  of  the  chief  of  the  naturalists  of  France,  has 
recently  died,  and  the  author  of  the  original  work  has  inserted  a  note 
announcing  the  fact,  and  expressing  the  respect  and  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held,  as  well  as  the  regret  felt  at  his  loss. 


<)6  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

worth  a  cable  broken,  and  that  it  was  to  be  hoped 
that  similar  accidents  would  occur  again.' 

u  Since  this  occurrence  the  English,  Swedish,  and 
American  peoples  have  fitted  out  ships  for  sounding 
and  dredging,  with  the  object  of  revealing  the  won- 
derful secrets  of  the  ocean  depths. 

"  The  Government  of  France  has  held  it  a  point  of 


SUBMARINE  EXPLORATION o  Ui'  XHii  '    XAi.ls.MAN.'      Miid'H i'l/.<,  f/lobu'Cps. 
FISHED  FBOM  A  DEPTH  BETWEEN'  4,500  AND  10,000  FEET. 

honour  not  to  be  left  behind,  and  in  1880  a  despatch- 
boat,  the  Travailleur,  made  its  first  voyage  for  this 
purpose  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay.  The  results  obtained 
were  so  satisfactory  that  it  was  decided  to  make  a 
second  campaign  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  then' 
a  third  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Canary  Islands. 
And  quite  recently  the  Travailleur  and  the  Talisman 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  97 


made  an  exploration  in  the  Atlantic,  and  the  spoils 
they  obtained  were  exhibited  in  one  of  the  galleries 
of  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  at  Paris. 

"No  doubt  you,  who  though  so  mocking  are  yet  of 
an  inquiring  turn  of  mind,  visited  this  exhibition. 
It  was  the  fashion  in  Paris  to  go  there. 

"There  were  some  true  marvels,  and  the  species 
that  had  been  previously  known  only  in  a  fossil  state, 


SUBMARINE    EXPLORATIONS     OF    THE     "TALISMAN."        Eurlplifli-1/n 
COAST  OF  MAROCCO,  AT  A  DEPTH  OF  8,000  FEET. 

were  in  variety  of  form  and  beauty  of  colouring  not 
a  whit  behind  those  that  were  already  familiar  to 
naturalists. 

"  There  were  siliceous  sponges,  Holtenia,  that  might 
have  been  taken  for  birds' -nests,  or  cups  made  with 
braided  threads  of  glass.  Other  sponges,  by  the 

H 


q8  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


strange  shape  of  their  skeletons,  recalled  the  comb 
made  by  bees.  And  farther  on,  side  by  side  with 
dense  copses  of  corals,  there  were  Echinodermata, 
star-fishes,  radiates  of  all  sizes,  forms,  and  colours, 
such  as  naturalist  had  never  seen  even  in  dreams 
before.  And  no  doubt  among  the  numerous  horde  of 
crustaceans,  you  noticed  a  collection  of  shrimps  of  a 


SUBMARINE    EXPLORATIONS    OF    THE    "TALISMAN."      MeldHeoCetHfl  joltnsoni. 
BETWEEN   THE   AZORES   AND   EUROPE.       DEPTH,    16,000    FEET. 

to 

carmine  colour,  some  of  which  measured  no  less  than 
eight  inches  in  length  ?  " 

"Certainly,"  said  Kene,  "and  I  can  admit  freely 
that  it  was  these  shrimps  that  most  impressed  me,  for 
I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  splendid  effect  they 
would  produce  in  the  window  of  one  of  the  restaurants 
of  the  Palais  Koval." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  99 

"  And  the  savants  of  the  expedition,  rumour  says, 
did  not  think  it  necessary  to  abstain  from  tasting 
them.  Whether  this  was  actually  the  case  or  not,  the 
collection  did  not  suffer  from  it,  and  the  materials 
brought  back  by  the  expedition  will  require  at  least 
ten  years  of  study  to  work  them  out. 

"  You  remarked  a  little  while  since  that  the  depths 
of  the  sea  must  be  absolutely  dark.  Well,  the  fish 
overcome  this  difficulty  by  lighting  it  themselves,  and 
by  carrying  their  lamps  about  with  them.  Many  fish 
are  furnished  with  luminous  plates,  and  almost  all  the 
inferior  forms  are  phosphorescent :  for  instance,  the 
Brisingia,  a  magnificent  star-fish  which  derives  its 
name  from  the  favourite  darling  of  a  Scandinavian 
divinity." 

"  What  a  strange  world  !  Is  the  Trachinus  viper  a 
found  among  these  fishes  ?  I  mean,  are  the  fishes 
like  those  we  are  acquainted  with  ?  " 

"  Not  altogether  so,"  said  the  doctor.  "  Indeed  this 
was  one  of  the  things  that  caused  some  surprise  to 
the  naturalists  of  the  expedition.  The  fishes  found  at 
great  depths  are  soft,  without  rigidity.  To  obtain  the 
necessary  firmness  they  require  to  be  submitted  to  a 
pressure  of  several  hundred  atmospheres.  When  re- 
lieved of  this  pressure,  they  decompose  and  pass  into 
the  condition  of  a  gelatinous  mass." 

u  It  is  certainly  a  great  pity,"  said  Kene,  "that  we 
cannot  actually  study  these  things  for  ourselves  on 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


the  spot,  like  the  Captain  Nemo  of  Jules  Verne.  How- 
ever, seeing  the  constant  progress  made  by  science,  I 
shall  not  be  surprised  if  we  succeed  in  doing  this 
some  day." 

The  following  day,  a  feverish  attack,  induced  to 
some  extent  by  the  venom  of  the  Trachinus  vipera 
brought  a  singular  dream  to  the  young  Parisian. 
Having  been  shot  violently  into  space,  he  was  revolv- 
ing through  unknown  abysses.  In  the  midst  of 
phosphorescent  monsters  great  star-fishes  vibrated 
their  arms,  lighted  up  as  if  by  some  electric  light ; 
strange  Echinodermata  were  seen, 'scattered  here  and 
there,  as  if  portions  of  heraldic  designs  belonging  to 
another  world  ;  while,  partly  concealed  in  shado\r, 
gigantic  lobsters  awaited  his  passing  with  open  claws 
and  menacing  antennae ! 


VIII. 

AJO.  uninviting-  form  of  cookery  —  Light  talking  and  good  working — A 
constant  sign — Curious  anatomical  point— An.  eye  consisting  of  many 
thousand  eyes — A  magnificent  preparation  —Three  stomachs  to  a  single 
individual — The  classification  of  insects — Queer  names  again — -Aptera 
— A  flea's  jump — Unexpected  maternal  instinct — The  reputation  of 
the  flea  restored  Diptera — Number  of  strokes  of  a  gnat's  wing  in  a 
second — The  bot-flies  and  Helophili — Transformations  of  a  gnat— 
Hemiptera  —  Lepidoptera  —  Butterflies  have  feathers  —  Depredators  — 
Neuroptera — Devastating  hosts — White  ants — Coleoptera — Our  friends 
and  enemies. 

RENE'S  prejudices  against  zoology  had  gradually,  and 
without  he  himself  being  aware  of  it,  been  dissipated. 
Certainly  he  would  have  been  very  surprised  if  any 
one  had  told  him  that  since  his  arrival  at  Yillers 
science  had  gained  an  additional  devotee  ;  but  it  was 
nevertheless  the  case,  and  Uncle  Bob  noted  it  each 
day  with  pleasure. 

Rene,  at  first  an  uninterested  listener,  now  gave  to 
these  interesting  demonstrations  a  more  sustained 
attention  than  might  have  been  anticipated  from  his 
natural  disposition,  and  he  not  only  listened  but 
actually  inquired. 

He  had,  in  fact,  become  a  valuable  assistant,  almost 
a  true  disciple,  to  Leon.  And  the  doctor's  son  derived 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


a  feeling  of  genuine  satisfaction  from  this  change,  for 
he  had  good  reason  for  believing  that  it  was  largely 
due  to  his  own  influence. 

But  something  of  the  careless  scholar  of  former 
days  still  survived  in  the  young  disciple  of  the 
present  time,  and  as  a  proof  of  this,  Bene*  took  advan- 
tage of  the  excellent  excuse  afforded  by  his  wounded 
hand  for  sleeping  through  the  best  part  of  the  morn- 
ing, and  coming  down  very  late  to  breakfast. 

As  he  was  taking  his  place  in  the  breakfast  room, 
Le*on  entered,  diffusing  around  him  a  strong  odour  of 
essence  of  turpentine  and  of  benzine,  and  wearing  a 
large  white  apron  over  his  clothes. 

"  Good  day,  lazy  man  !  "  he  laughingly  said. 

"  Good  hail,  you  dreadful  poisoner  ! "  replied  Bene*, 
offering  his  sound  hand  to  his  cousin.  "  But  what 
calling  are  you  engaged  in  this  morning  ?  Have  you 
become  apprentice  to  a  dyer,  or  are  you  only  practising 
the  art  of  painting  in  oil  ?  " 

"  Neither  one  nor  the  other.  I  am  arranging  my 
collection  and  endeavouring  to  protect  it  from  becom- 
ing greasy." 

The  Parisian  now  looked  at  him  with  an  air  of 
unaffected  surprise.  Evidently  he  did  not  at  all 
understand. 

"Becoming  greasy?"  he  repeated.  "Then  it  is 
neither  dyeing  nor  painting,  but  it  must  be  cooking. 
And  what  are  you  getting  ready  ?  " 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  103 

"  My  collection  of  insects.  I  am  preventing  it  from 
spoiling.  Perhaps  you  would  like  to  help  me." 

"  With  pleasure,  if  my  wounded  hand  will  allow 
me.  But,  as  fair  exchange  is  no  robbery,  you  must 
tell  me  about  your  insects  and  give  me  some  know- 
ledge concerning  them,  and  I  shall  assist  you  in  your 
efforts  to  prevent  their  becoming  fat." 

So,  after  having  breakfasted  very  heartily  for  a 
sick  man,  he  went  to  his  cousin's  workroom. 

"To  begin  with,"  said  he,  looking  at  the  boxes 
opened  and  displayed  on  the  tables,  "  I  see  quite  a 
bewildering  series  of  different  forms,  although  the  little 
creatures  have  a  certain  air  of  family  likeness  that  I 
can  perceive  without  being  able  to  define.  Tell  me,  if 
you  please,  what  are  the  characters  that  constitute  an 
insect?" 

"Insects  are  characterised  by  having  the  body 
divided  into  three  parts — head,  thorax,  and  abdomen, 
the  latter  being  formed  by  several  rings  or  segments 
placed  one  behind  another.  All,  when  they  have 
arrived  at  their  perfect  state,  have  three  pairs  of  legs, 
and  undergo  one  or  more,  more  or  less  abrupt,  trans- 
formations, passing  the  greater  part  of  the  period  of 
their  existence  in  the  condition  of  larvae,  then  becom- 
ing nymphs  or  chrysalides,  and  then  in  the  form  of 
perfect  insects  reproducing  their  kind. 

"  There  is  nothing  more  wonderful  than  the  anatomy 
of  these  liliputian  beings.  Thus  they  breathe  by 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


means  of  tubes  opening  on  the  sides  of  their  bodies, 
and  called  tracheaB  ;  these  tubes  terminate  externally 
in  orifices  called  stigmata." 

"  And  are  these  organs  numerous  ?  " 

"  Very  numerous.  A  patient  entomologist  has 
counted  one  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-four  on 
the  caterpillar  of  the  willow.*  But  this  is  only  one 
of  the  remarkable  peculiarities  of  insects  :  many  have 
compound  eyes  divided  into  facets." 

"  Perhaps  -  like  diamonds  after  they  have  been 
cut  ?  " 

"Yes,  but  with  the  difference  that  the  facets  are 
much  more  numerous.  They  have  counted,  I  believe, 

four  thousand  in  the  house-fly." 
it  \  j? 

"About  six  thousand,  two  hundred  in  the  silkworm 
moth." 

i<  T    T» 

"  Twelve  thousand,  five  hundred  and  forty-four  in 
a  dragon-fly."t 

"  What  you  are  telling  me  sounds  almost  incredi- 
ble !  I  shall  become  a  St.  Thomas,  and  ask  you  to 
show  me  that  I  may  believe." 

*  There  is  here  some  error  of  memory  or  of  pen.  The  stigmata  in  insects 
are  never  more  than  twenty  in  number  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  tracheae  are 
so  numerous,  distributed  as  they  are  to  all  paits  of  the  body,  and  ramifying 
in  a  fine  network  around  and  amongst  all  the  organs,  as  to  defy  counting. 
Tossibly  he  refers  to  the  number  of  muscles,  of  which  Lyonnet  counted 
4,061  in  the  caterpillar  of  Cossus  ligniperda.—  T--inslator. 

t  And  twenty-five  thousand  and  eighty-eight  in  a  beetle  (Mordella).  — 
Translator. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  105 


ki  Nothing  is  easier;  here  is  a  large  grasshopper, 
and  here  is  an  excellent  glass  ;  see  then,  and  believe." 

"Indeed  it  is  true!"  said  Rene,  who  had  laid 
aside  his  brush  in  order  to  take  the  lens  that  his 
cousin  offered  to  him.  "  One  ought  to  look  at  every- 
thing in  an  insect,  for  all  is  remarkable,  not  only  the 
eyes,  but  the  jaws,  the  antennae,  the  legs,"  and  as  lie 
was  speaking  he  passed  the  glass  over  the  various 
parts  of  the  body  of  the  grasshopper.  "  Eeally,  you 
should  have  made  me  acquainted  with  all  this  before." 

"  Tt  is  never  too  late  to  mend.    Take  a  good  lens, 


FOUR  FACETS  FROM  THE  EYE  OF  A  COCKCHAFER. 

a,  b,  Retina,     c,  Crystalline  cone,     d,  Curneal  facet. 

or  a  microscope,  and  any  insect  whatever,  and  you 
find  in  it  a  field  of  study  almost  unlimited,  especially 
if  you  are  of  a  mind  to  examine  its  anatomy  and 
dissect  it.  I  happen  to  have,  on  this  glass  slide,  a 
splendid  specimen  :  it  is  the  digestive  system  of  a 
Carabus,  that  my  father  has  been  occupying  himself 
with  preparing." 

This  beautiful  preparation  had  demanded  for  its 
execution  the  utmost  patience  and  all  the  skill  of  a 
practised  and  accomplished  hand.  The  three  dilata- 


io6 


THE    WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


tions  that  form,  as  it  were,  three  different  stomachs,  the 
resophagus,  the  gizzard,  and  the  true  stomach,  were 


DIGESTIVE    SYSTEM    OF    A    CARNIVOROUS    INSECT 


perfectly  distinct;  and  around  the  canal  were  still 
attached  the  fine  tubes  that  are  called  malpighian 
vessels,  whose  function  is  not  yet  very  definitely 


J 
TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  107 

ascertained,  but    which   have   been   supposed   to   be 
biliary  vessels. 

"  This  is  really  superb,"  said  the  Parisian,  as  he 
shifted  the  preparation  from  place  to  place  under  the 
object  glass,  so  as  to  seize  all  its  details.  "But  before 
commencing  the  study  of  the  internal  anatomy  of 
insects,  I  think  it  will  be  advisable  to  learn  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  one  another ;  for  without  some 
sort  of  classification  this  must  be,  as  you  say,  by  no 


HEAD-LOUSE,    MUCH    MAGNIFIED. 


means  an  easy  affair,  seeing  how  numerous  are  their 
kinds." 

"Numerous  indeed.  Of  all  animals  they  are  by  far 
the  most  numerous ;  of  ants  alone  there  are  known 
about  fifteen  hundred  different  kinds.  And  so,  in 
order  to  keep  from  being  lost  in  such  a  labyrinth, 
several  divisions  have  been  adopted,  and  eight  diffe- 
rent orders  are  recognised,  based  on  the  number  and 
nature  of  the  wings.  They  are — 

"1.  Aptera,  destitute  of  wings. 


108  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

11  2.  Diptera,  having  two  wings. 

"  All  the  other  orders  have  four ;  they  are — 

''3.  Lepidoptera,  whose  wings  are  covered  with 
scales. 

"  4.  Hymenoptera,  the  veins  of  whose  wings  form 
large  meshes. 

U5.  Neuroptera,  the  meshes  of  whose  wings  are 
numerous  and  small., 

"  6.  Hemiptera,  suctorial  insects  having  usually  one 
pair  of  wings,  in  part  harder  than  the  other. 

"7.  Orthoptera,  with  somewhat  thickened  upper 
wings,  and  with  the  under  wings  folding  in  longitu- 
dinal plaits. 

"  8.  Coleoptera,  with  hard  wings  called  elytra, 
usually  united  along  the  back  by  a  straight  suture, 
and  with  the  under  wings  folding  transversely.* 

"  With  these  summary  indications  you  will  readily 
be  able  to  find  your  way  for  a  little  in  the  intricacies 
of  entomological  classification." 

Kene*  made  rather  a  wry  face  ;  and  clearly  Coleop- 
tera, Orthoptera,  and  the  rest  had  as  much  difficulty  in 
making  themselves  at  home  in  his  mind  as  had  the 
Acanthopterygii  and  Malacopterygii  of  the  fishes. 

*  The  number  of  orders  of  insects  is  still  a  matter  of  discussion  and  not 
unfrequently  a  larger  number  than  the  above  are  adopted.  The  Neuroptera 
are  by  some  naturalists  divided  into  two  or  three  orders  ;  some  separate  the 
Thysanura  as  distinct ;  and  others  so  treat  the  fleas,  giving  them  the  name 
of  Aphaniptera.  The  order  Aptera,  on  the  other  hand,  is  now  usually 
abandoned,  the  true  lice  being  placed  in  the  Rhynchota  or  Hemiptera,  and 
the  bird  lice  in  the  Orthoptera. — Translator. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


109 


"It  is  easy,  very  easy,"  he  muttered;  "probably 
quite  easy  when  you  have  seized  the  clue,  and  this 
clue —  Stop !  as  you  have  already  done  so  much, 
point  out  to  me  an  example  of  each  of  these  eight 
orders." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Le'on,  laying  down  his  brushes 
and  forceps  ;  "I  can  see  that  we  shall  not  do  much  at 
the  preservation  of  my  collection  to-day.  But  I  do 


THE  FLEA:   NYMPH,  PERFECT  INSECT,  AND  LARVA. 
OF  THE  STIGMATA. 


INDICATES   THE    POSITION 


not  regret  it,  as  I  am  glad  you  are  overcoming  your 
prepossessions. 

"  The  principal  components  of  the  order  Aptera  are 
the  lice  and  the  fleas." 

"  A  most  disagreeable  and  villainous  set,  to  com- 
mence with !  You  do  not  keep  any  in  your  collec- 
tion, I  hope  ?  " 

"  One  must  have  them  represented,  and  I  make  my 
collection  as  complete  as  possible.  Only  in  the  case 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


of  these  infamous  creatures,  I  keep  them  separately, 
mounted  between  two  glass  plates,  and  we  will  look 
at  them  under  the  microscope.  Here,  to  begin  with, 
is  the  common  louse." 

"  Oh,  horror !  And  well  it  justifies  the  common 
saying :  '  As  ugly  as  a  louse ! ' 

u  And  here  now,  on  this  other  slide,  is  quite  a  collec- 
tion of  fleas :  the  human  flea,  the  cat  flea,  the  dog 
flea,  the  flea  of  the  chicken,  and  that  of  the  pigeon, 
with  the  complete  arrangement  of  lances  that. serves  as 
their  stock  in  trade.  You  see  that  the  lord  of  the  crea- 
tion, man,  has  by  no  means  a  monopoly  of  these  pests." 

"Do  not  let  me  look  1  nger  at  these  disgusting 
creatures,  the  mere  sight  of  them  makes  me  itch. 
They  are  all  of  them,  if  animals  at  all,  destitute  of 
physical  and  mental  powers." 

"  This  is  certainly  not  true  in  the  case  of  the  fleas. 
For  instance,  they  have  remarkable  physical  powers, 
extraordinary  strength  and  agility,  so  that  they  make 
leaps  of  one  thousand  or  fifteen  hundred  times  their 
own  length.  If  a  man  could  perform  a  proportional 
feat  he  would  be  able  to  clear  Mont  Blanc  with  two  or 
three  bounds." 

"  Then,  according  to  you,  the  most  hyperbolic  of 
compliments  to  an  athlete  would  be  to  say  to  him,  '  You 
are  as  capable  as  a  flea.'  And  their  moral  qualities  ?  " 

"They  certainly  possess  one — maternal  affection." 

Kene*  now  looked  at  his  cousin  with  an  expression 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


that  seemed  to  ask  if  he  were  joking  or  had  become 
crazy. 

"  I  am  speaking  quite  seriously,"  he  affirmed  in 
reply  to  this  unspoken  interrogatory,  which  he  per- 
fectly understood;  "fleas  have  a  tender  and  provident 
affection  for  their  young.  Their  eggs  are  frequently 
placed  in  the  cracks  of  floors  or  amongst  old  furniture, 
and  almost  always,  side  by  side  with  the  eggs,  there 
are  found  small  black  granulations  that,  when  ex- 
amined with  the  microscope,  are  seen  to  be  specks  of 
desiccated  blood;  so  that  the  young  flea  on  its  entry 
into  the  world  finds  provisions  ready  for  its  use. 

"  This  first  stock  being  exhausted  (and  this  soon 
happens,  for  the  flea  from  its  very  birth  is  endowed 
with  a  voracious  appetite),  the  mother  flea  brings 
to  her  offspring  the  blood  with  which  she  has  gorged 
herself,  somewhat  in  the  same  way  as  birds  give 
beakfuls  of  food  to  their  little  ones.  So  that  you  see 
these  degraded  insects  are  not  so  bad  as  uninstructed 
people  suppose." 

"Kind  fleas,  honourable  fleas!"  cried  Kene*,  parti- 
ally convinced;  "nothing  less  than  this  could  have 
made  me  respect  them.  I  make  my  bow,  and  out  of 
respect  for  their  good  feelings  I  pardon  them  the 
injuries  they  have  inflicted  on  me." 

"Now  let  us  turn  to  some  of  the  others.  After  the 
fleas  that  have  no  wings,  tell  me  about  the  insects 
that  have  two." 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


"  In  the  insects  that  have  two  wings,  Diptera,  the 
mouth  forms  a  proboscis  composed  of  four  parts — a 
sheath,  a  suctorial  apparatus,  and  two  palpi.  If  you 
examine,  even  with  a  slight  magnifying  power,  the 
head  of  a  fly,  you  will  be  able  to  recognise  these 
different  pieces.  Moreover,  as  they  have  only  two 
wings,  and  as  it  would  not  be  right  that  they  should 
have  fair  grounds  for  being  jealous  of  the  better 
endowed  insects,  they  have  instead  of  the  second  pair 


TWO-  WINGED   FLY 


of  wings  —  what  do  you  suppose  ?  Balancers  or 
halter  es." 

"  Like  the  rope-dancers  at  a  circus.  And  what  is 
the  use  of  these  organs  to  them  ?" 

"Exactly  the  same;*  and  these  little  instruments 
are  even  of  more  service  to  them  than  those  of  the 
performers  you  have  mentioned.  Have  you  any  idea 
of  the  number  of  strokes  a  common  fly  makes  with  its 
wings  in  a  second  ?'; 

"  No  doubt  many  ;  here  is  one  on  the  table, 
suppose  we  ask  it?  "and  stretching  out  his  hand 

*  This  is  not  established.--  Translator. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


1*3 


Now 


he  captured  the  fly  with  his  finger  and  thumb, 
we  can  see:  say  thirty,  perhaps  forty." 

"  You  are  very  far  out.  The  number  of  strokes 
of  the  wings  of  a  fly  is  about  six  hundred  per  second, 
and  may  reach  as  many  as  three  thousand  six  hundred 
during  rapid  flight;  is  not  that  surprising?" 


VOEMS    (LAKV.K    OF    UetipMttU),    A.M. 
INSECT    IX    THE    PERFECT    STATE. 


1 '  Here  are  some  other  kinds  of  Diptera  :  Yolucella, 
a  wild  creature  resembling  a  humble-bee,  and  who 
moreover  takes  advantage  of  this  to  obtain  entrance 
into  the  nest  of  the  bee,  where  it  deposits  its  eggs, 
which  when  hatched  devour  those  of  its  host;  the 
Helophili,  whose  larvae  were  named  by  Keaumur  'rat- 

r 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


tailed   worms,'   because    of    a    singular    appendage, 


arranged  after  the  fashion  of  the  tubes  of  a  telescope, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  115 

so  that  the  creature  is  able,  when  at  the  bottom  of  the 
water,  to  breathe  the  air  at  the  surface.  Gastro- 
philus,  belonging  to  the  (Estridae  ;  these  lay  their 
eggs  amongst  the  hairs  of  horses,  and  the  animal, 
when  licking  the  spot,  detaches  them  and  swallows 
them,  and  the  larvae,  developing  in  the  stomach,  are 
well  known  under  the  name  of  bots.  And  here  are 
the  gnats,  with  whose  annoying  bites  you  have  been 
long  familiar. 

"  Here,  too,  is  a  preparation  exhibiting  the  very 
complicated  instruments  they  use  for  this  purpose. 
But  still  more  wonderful  are  the  metamorphoses  of 
these  creatures. 

"  Before  becoming  an  aerial  animal,  the  gnat,  or 
rather  its  larva,  is  a  little  worm  of  strange  form, 
with  a  complex  arrangement  of  bristles,  and  inhabit- 
ing pools  and  stagnant  waters. 

"When  undergoing  its  final  transformation  the 
pupa  rises  to  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  remains 
there  until  the  swollen  part  of  its  outer  skin  dries 
and  splits ;  the  perfect  insect  then  raises  itself 
into  an  erect  position  by  gradually  dragging  itself 
out  of  the  skin,  which  meanwhile  floats  and  serves 
as  a  boat,  the  erect  insect  being  like  a  little  mast 
and  its  wings  like  sails  :  truly  a  wonderful  and  fragile 
skiff. 

"  In  addition  to  great  skill  the  creature  requires 
good  fortune  to  bring  this  delicate  operation  to  a 


n6  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

successful  conclusion.  At  this  moment  when  it  is 
ceasing  to  be  an  inhabitant  of  the  water,  contact  with 
the  water  that  has  hitherto  been  its  proper  element 
is  fatal  to  it,  by  preventing  it  from  taking  flight,  so 
that  in  rough  weather  many  of  these  living  barks  are 
shipwrecked,  and  the  unfortunate  insect  perishes 
without  having  been  able  to  fly  at  all." 


TINDER    SURFACE    OF   THE    PHYLLOXERA    OF   THE   VINE,    WINGED    FORM. 
MAGNIFIED   ABOUT    SIXTY    TIMES. 


"I  must  admit,"  said  Eene,  "that  the  examples 
of  the  two  orders  you  have  told  me  about  are 
wonderful.  Indeed,  I  suspect  you  made  a  judicious 
choice  on  purpose  to  interest  me.  Was  it  not  so?" 

"  Certainly  not ;  the  choice  of  these  two  instances 
was  entirely  unpremeditated,  and  in  point  of  fact,  any 
insect  taken  by  itself  affords  astonishment  to  one 


'  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  117 

who  studies  it.  What  is  already  known  about  insects 
would  fill  large  volumes,  and  to  these  every  day,  as 
new  observations  are  made,  new  chapters  must  be 
added.  But  I  promised  to  introduce  you  to  a  few 
examples  of  each  of  the  orders  of  insects.  We  have 
interviewed  the  Aptera  and  Diptera,  and  will  now 
continue  the  series. 

"To  the  Hemiptera  or  Ehynchota  belong  the  Pen- 
tatomse,  some  of  which  may  be  met  with  in  great 
quantities  in  autumn  on  the  raspberries  and  the 
flowers  of  the  mullein,  and  may  be  recognised  by  their 
very  strong  and  disagreeable  odour. 

"  This  order  also  includes  bugs  ;  the  Eeduvii,  who 
disguise  themselves  with  a  covering  of  dirt,  so  as  to 
approach,  without  being  perceived,  the  little  creatures 
they  feed  on,  a  proceeding  analogous  to  that  of  the 
spider-crabs  that  I  have  already  told  you  about ;  the 
Cicada,  the  Aphides  or  green-fly,  the  pest  of  our 
gardens  and  trees  ;  and  the  Phylloxera,  the  ravager  ol 
the  vines,  called  vastatrix  by  the  men  of  science 
(these  latter,  by  the  way,  have  not  succeeded  in  doing 
it  any  other  harm) ;  and  finally  many  aquatic  forms — 
the  Notonecta,  or  water  boatman,  the  Corixa,  NepaB, 
or  water- scorpions,  and  the  Ranatrse. 

"Now  we  come  to  the  representatives  of  an  order 
with  which  you  are  well  acquainted — the  butterflies, 
in  the  naturalist's  language,  Lepidoptera,  or  scaled- 
wings,  a  name  that  is  perfectly  well  selected." 


u8  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

And  taking  a  preparation  on  a  glass  lie  placed  it 
under  the  microscope. 

"  What !  these  wonderful  petals,  these  delicate 
flowers,  they  are  only  the  feathers  of  the  butterfly  ? 
You  would  never  have  supposed  it." 

Then,  noticing  that  his  cousin  was  admiringly  con- 
templating this  iridescent  display,  where  all  colours, 
from  the  delicate  tints  of  the  pearl  to  the  fervid 


i'EACOCK   BUTTERFLY. 


brilliancy  of  the  ruby,  were  represented,  Le"on  added  : 
"It  is  a  great  pity  that  these  beautiful  creatures 
should  be  so  injurious.  There  is  scarcely  a  plant  that 
is  not  subject  to  the  depredations  of  one  or  more 
species,  from  the  humble  and  prosaic  cabbage,  whose 
leaves  are  consumed  to  the  very  ribs  by  the  white 
butterfly  or  Pieris,  to  the  oak,  whose  leaves  serve  as  the 
nourishment  of  several  species.  The  vegetable  world 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


119 


has  no  more  determined  enemies,  even  among  the 
hordes  of  insects,  than  the  Lepidoptera.  It  is  true 
that  it  is  not  the  butterflies  themselves  that  do  the 
harm,  but  the  caterpillars  ;  however,  as  the  butter- 
flies produce  the  caterpillars,  and  the  caterpillars 


SCALES    FROM    BUTTERFLIES'  WINGS,    GREATLY    MAGNIFIED. 


the  butterflies,   it   is  much  the    same  thing   to  the 


vegetables." 


"  And  I,  who  thought  them  incapable  of  the  slightest 
misdeed,"  said  Kene',  "  confiding  in  their  beautiful 
adornments  and  their  innocent  movements !  You 


THE    WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


will,  however,  I  hope,  make  an  exception  in  favour  of 
the  silkworm.  Though  I  admit  that  at  present  insects 
inspire  me  only  with  a  most  limited  confidence  ; 
including  even  this  beautiful  dragon-fly  with  trans- 
parent wings,  that  belongs,  I  presume,  to  the  same 
order." 

"Not  at  all:    it  belongs  to  the  order  Keuroptera, 
among   which   we   have   also   many    enemies ;     and 


DRAGOX-FLT  (LibeUuluj . 

though  the  dragon-tiies  and  the  may -flies  do  us  no 
harm,  though  the  ant-lion  destroys  only  ants,  there  are 
other  species  that  are  not  so  scrupulous  in  respect  to 
us.  The  white  ants,  or  Termites,  especially  have  a 
deplorable  habit  of  excavating  their  habitations  or 
concealed  galleries  in  furniture  and  other  articles  con- 
structed of  wood.  So  well  do  they  accomplish  this, 
that  sometimes  they  leave  only  a  thin  crust  of  wood, 
and  directly  this  is  touched " 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


"  Crack  !  it  goes.  It  must  be  funny  to  see  the  face 
of  the  owner  under  such  circumstances.  These  des- 
troying and  annoying  insects  must,  however,  be  very 
rare,  for  I  do  not  recollect  ever  to  have  met  with  any 
of  them." 

"Certainly  they  are  rare  with  us,*  though  very 


MAY-FLY  (Ephemera}. 


1'erffci,  Insect. 


common  in  some  maritime  towns,  where  they  do  an 
immense  amount  of  damage.  This  is  especially  the  case 
at  Eochefort,  where  the  insect  has  been  introduced, 

*  In  Britain  there  are  no  white  ants,  and  they  only  occur  in  a  few  spots 
in  France,  in  the  south ;  but  in  North  America  they  are  more  common. — 
Translator 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


though  it  is  not  quite  known  at  what  date,  and  by 
whom." 

"Probably  by  some  furniture  maker,  or  carpenter, 
by  virtue  of  the  maxim  :    '  Is  fecit  cui  prodest.'    It 


WHITE  ANTS  (Termites)  :  DIFFERENT  FORMS. 

seems,  then,  we  may  conclude  that  such  insects  as  are 
not  valuable  friends  are  dangerous  enemies.  And 
this  long  series  of  Coleoptera,  are  they  friends  or 
enemies  ?  " 

"  Some  are  the  one,  some  the  other,  as  in  most  of 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  123 

the  remaining  orders  that  are  numerous  in  species. 
Amongst  the  Coleoptera  we  have  many  allies;  the 
carnivorous  beetles  are  especially  useful,  as  they 
destroy  many  injurious  insects.  I  have  placed  them 
all  together."  And  opening  a  large  box:  "Here 


THE    BEOAD    DYTISCTT3 

(Dytiscus  latissimus) . 


COLEOPTEEA. 


THE   GEEAT    HYDBOPHILUS 

( Hydroph  i  I  us  piccus) . 


are  our  friends,"  added  Leon;  "in  the  first  place 
the  numerous  family  of  the  Carabidae  :  Carabus 
with  metallic  colours ;  Procrustes,  with  a  skin  like 
leather  in  appearance;  the  Cicindelse,  called  tiger- 
beetles  by  LinnaBus  ;  the  Feronise  and  the  Harpali. 
Then  the  glow-worm  tribe,  that  destroy  snails  and 
perhaps  caterpillars  ;  the  Telephori,  with  silky  appear- 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


ance;  and  also  the  Coccinellac,  called  in  France  betes 
a  bon  Dieu,  great  destroyers  of  the  Aphides  or  green- 

fly- 

"  The  burying  beetles  are  also  useful  to  us,  their 
office  being  to  dispose  of  offensive  remains;  the 
Staphylinida3,  one  species  being  said  to  destroy  the 


EGYPTIAN'  SACKED  BEETLE  (Scar(lb(?1is). 

larvee  of  flies ;  the  Silphge,  some  of  which  wage  war 
against  snails ;  the  dung-beetles,  with  their  disgusting 
food.  This,  by  the  way,  did  not  prevent  the  ancient 
Egyptians  from  treating  them  as  sacred ;  » the  Ne- 
crophori,  already  mentioned,  which  have  the  habit  of 
interring  the  bodies  of  smaller  animals,  possibly  with 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  125 

the  intention  of  preserving  them  till  they  become 
'high,'  but  more  probably  to  provide  a  store  for 
their  future  offspring.  Some  day  we  shall  see  them 
at  their  work,  and  then  I  can  assure  you  that  you 
will  not  regret  the  time  spent  in  watching  them. 
And  now,  shall  we  look  at  the  injurious  beetles  ?  " 

With  this  he  opened  a  box,  in  which  were  to  be 
seen  transfixed  by  long  pins  many  Coleoptera,  as  if 
condemned  and  expiating  their  sins.  First  of  all  the 


TURNIP-FLY  :    NATURAL    SIZE   AND   MUCH    MAGNIFIED. 

chafers,  who  perhaps  died  regretting  their  juicy 
leaves  ;  the  Dermestidee,  which  frequently  cause  serious 
injury  to  the  finest  furs;  the  weevils,  and  the  corn- 
weevils,  dreadful  scourges  to  our  stores  of  grain  in 
barns  and  granaries  ;  Halticidse,  so  small  that  it  had 
been  necessary  to  gum  them  on  pieces  of  cardboard ; 
and  in  addition  a  rear-guard  of  the  destroyers  that 
devour  roots,  wither  the  young  shoots,  or  perforate 
the  leaves. 

"All  these  sorts,"  said  Le*on,  "I  abandon  to  you  ; 


126 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


wherever  you  meet  with  them  you  may  destroy,  smash, 
kill,  or  massacre,  I  absolve  you  in  advance." 


CORN-WEEVIL,  MTJCH  WIRE   WORM  :     LARVA  DERMESTES    LARDAR1US. 

MAGNIFIED.  AND   PERFECT    INSECT. 


The  dinner  bell,  violently  rung  by  an  impatient  ser- 
vant, brought  to  an  end  the  instructive  conversation 
of  the  young  friends. 


IX. 

Congratulations  are  the  order  of  the  day — Ineffectual  strategy  —  Some 
respectable  insects — Ants  and  their  flocks — Dairy-farms  of  blight — 
Men,  women,  and  workers — To  be  an  ant  is  no  sinecure — Destruction, 
of  a  home — An  eastern  legend — Tamerlane — In  what  way  a  mere 
ant  may  sometimes  decide  the  fate  of  an  empire  —  How  Mr.  Leon 
increased  his  collection  on  this  occasion. 


As  the  meal  was  concluding,  "  Suppose  we  take  our 
coffee  in  the  garden?"  said  the  doctor.  "Nothing  is 
better  than  the  open  air  for  promoting  and  facilitating 
digestion." 

Uncle  Bob's  proposal  was  cheerfully  and  unani- 
mously accepted,  and  our  three  friends,  having  installed 
themselves  comfortably  under  the  arbour,  the  aromatic 
mocha  was  brought  thither  to  them. 

"  Now,  my  dear  nephew,"  said  the  kind  savant  as 
he  dispensed  the  pleasant  refreshment,  "can  you 
imagine  what  rumour  is  saying  abroad  ?  I  have  heard 
that  one  of  the  greatest  traducers  of  natural  history 
has  recently  been  led  into  the  right  path  on  the  shore 
at  Yillers ;  that  the  aforesaid  traducer,  having  already 
passed  the  grade  of  martyr,  thanks  to  the  wound  of  a 
certain  Trachinus  viper  a,  has  none  the  less  been  seen, 


ia8  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

this  very  day,  in  the  flagrant  misdemeanour  of  ento- 
mology, and  this  too  under  the  fallacious  pretext  of 
giving  to  the  insects  a  necessary  cleansing — which 
they  still  await." 

Kene*,  reddened  at  this  direct  attack,  but  he  met  it 
thus — 

"  It  is  not  my  fault ;  Le*on  is  in  the  habit  of  study- 
ing animals  in  our  native.tongue.  He  makes  as  little 
use  as  possible  of  those  long  words  that  seem  to  have 
been  invented  on  purpose  to  provoke.  It  is  he,  and  he 
alone,  that  should  be  reproached." 

"  Or  rather  congratulated,  and  this  I  do  most  heartily. 
Pass  me  the  sugar-basin,  if  you  please." 

Uncle  Bob  selected  a  lump,  but  as  he  was  putting 
it  in  his  cup  he  suddenly  made  a  gesture  of  annoyance. 

"These  detestable  creatures  again,"  he  muttered. 
"  My  instructions  have  been  neglected." 

The  kitchen  and  dining-room  of  the  cottage  were, 
in  fact,  infested  by  ants — by  those  large  red  ants  that 
intrude  themselves  wherever  provisions  are  to  be 
found — active,  and  apparently  countless,  coming  one 
knows  not  whence,  and  returning,  eagerly  occupied, 
incessantly  seeking  supplies. 

If  a  bowl  of  milk  were  left  for  only  ten  minutes  on 
the  kitchen  table,  one  might  have  been  sure  of  finding 
at  least  three  or  four  of  these  adventurers  struggling 
half-drowned  in  the  useful  liquid,  like  the  famous 
Duke  of  Clarence  in  his  butt  of  Malmsey  wine. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


129 


The  sugar-basin,  to  them  a  precipitous  fortress,  was 
a  special  object  for  repeated  assaults  from  these  nungry 
little  creatures.  Unfortunately  for  them,  the  doctor, 
who  much  preferred  sugar  to  formic  acid,  had  resolved 
to  make  an  energetic  defence  of  his  goods,  and  as  the 
ants,  in  spite  of  all  his  precautions,  always  found  some 
way  of  slipping  under  the  cover,  he  had  surrounded 
the  fortress  with  a  large  moat  filled  with  water.  This 
strategic  moat  was  nothing  less  than  a  plate. 

Uncle  Bob  was  as  proud  of  his  invention  as  a  gene- 
ral would  be  of  a  successful,  unexpected  manoeuvre. 
Ants,  it  must  be  admitted,  have  no  aquatic  capacities, 
so  that  when  he  discovered  that  his  precautions  had 
been  frustrated,  he  did  not  attempt  to  disguise  his 
surprise  and  annoyance,  and  his  first  impulse  was  to 
lay  the  blame  on  the  cook. 

"  So  you  have  neglected  my  instructions  !  " 

Dame  Theresa,  however,  would  not  admit  this,  and 
made  the  most  solemn  asseverations  that  the  sugar- 
basin  had,  like  a  true  fortification,  never  for  a  single 
moment  been  without  its  surrounding  zone  of  water. 

"  I  am  unable  to  understand  it,"  said  the  savant. 

"  I  think  I  can  explain  it,"  said  Eene.  u  The  sugar- 
basin  was,  I  believe,  in  the  middle  of  the  dumb-waiter 
on  the  second  shelf?" 

"Yes,  well?" 

"  Well,  this  morning,  I  observed  two  or  three  ants 
walking  about  on  the  under  side  of  the  third  shelf, 

K 


130 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


just  above  the  basin.     The  place  being  invincible  from 
below,  '  they   attacked   it   from    above ;  then,  having 
entered  the  basin,  and  not  being  able  to  get  out  again, 
they  have  calmly  awaited  the  turn  of  events." 
The  good  doctor  laughed  most  heartily. 


ANT-LION   IN   ITS    PIT  :     THE    BORN   ENEMY   OF    ANTS. 

"  So  that  it  is  I  that  am  out-generaled ;  it  is  I,  an 
educated,  certificated  medallist,  that  am  duped  by 
these  impertinent  Hymenoptera  !  After  this,  one  may 
well  boast  of  being  a  man,  and  of  passing  as  a  learned 
one !  However,"  he  added,  with  an  air  of  consoling 


TWO  YO UNG  NA  TURALISTS.  1 3 1 


himself,  lt  since  it  was  destined  that  I  was  to  receive  a 
lesson  in  strategy  from  some  insects,  it  was  well  that 
it  should  be  from  some  of  good  reputation,  known  to 
be  clever,  keeping  a  house  of  their  own." 

"  And  herds  besides,"  added  Le'on. 

His  cousin  looked  at  him  with  an  expression  of  in- 
credulity. 

"Herds!'1  he  repeated;  "have  you  then  another 
history  to  narrate?" 

"  Yes,  and  a  true  one.    You  have  had  an  illustration 


BED  ANT  (Formica  rufa,  Latr.). 

of  the  great  love  ants  have  for  sugar.  Now,  as  perhaps 
you  are  aware,  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  aphides,  of 
which  we  have  already  spoken,  have  the  faculty  of 
exuding  a  sugary  substance.  The  watchful  ants, 
always  busy,  long  since  discovered  the  existence  of  this 
natural  source  of  sweetness,  and  as  timidity  is  one  of 
the  last  of  their  defects,  they  calmly  go  and  milk  the 
aphides,  without,  however,  doing  them  any  harm. 
Naturally  the  latter,  good-natured  and  feeble  creatures, 
allow  them  to  do  it,  not  being  able,  in  fact,  to  prevent 
it,  so  that  the  aphides  in  question  become  actually 
the  milch  cows  of  the  ants. 


J32  THE    WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

"  There  is  still  more;  the  ants  have  made  a  further 
development  quite  as  knowing  in  its  way.  l  We  lose 
an  enormous  amount  of  time,'  they  said,  '  in  going 
about  here  and  there  to  milk  our  cattle,  and,  for  busy 
ants,  time  is  money.'  You  will  guess  the  sequel : 
aphides  established  in,  dwelling  in,  the  nests  of  the 
ants,  where  they  are  well  taken  care  of,  fed,  fattened, 
kept  clean,  petted,  and  so  on,  with  the  result  that 
there  is  always  a  supply  of  sugar  at  hand.  Without 
doing  ourselves  any  injustice,  can  you  suggest  any 
way  by  which  we  ourselves  could  have  improved  on 
this?" 

"No,  indeed.  But  why  should  they  be  included  in 
the  order  Hymenoptera,  seeing  that  these,  as  you  told 
me,  are  characterised  by  the  possession  of  four  mem- 
branous wings  with  large  meshes  ?  Ants,  so  far  as  I 
know,  have  no  wings  at  all." 

"Yes,  they  have;  but  in  most  cases  they  are  only 
provided  with  them  "for  a  short  time  at  the  period 
when  they  are  occupied  with  laying  their  eggs,  and 
even  then  not  all  of  them,  but  only  the  males  and 
females." 

"  Your  '  only '  is  very  strange.  Are  there  then 
ants  that  are  neither  male  nor  female?  Are  there 
Auvergnats  among  them  ?  " 

"  Exactly,  and  these  Auvergnats  are  the  most 
interesting  of  all  the  members  of  the  ant  tribe.  They 
are  the  workers,  and  on  them  devolve  all  the  house- 


TIW  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


'33 


hold  operations.  The  males  live  like  landlords ;  the 
females  lay  the  eggs,  and  nothing  more  is  asked  of 
them.  As  for  the  workers,  their  occupations  are 


ANTS    AND   APHIDES. 


much  more  varied ;  in  the  first  place  it  is  they  who 
construct  the  house." 

"  In  fact,  they  are  at  once  architects,  bricklayers, 
labourers,  and  miners.  What  next?" 

"  They  take  care  of  and  milk  the  aphides." 

"  Dairymen." 


134  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

"  On  them  also  falls  the  duty  of  feeding  the 
males  and  females,  and  what  is  even  more  essential, 
the  Iarva3.  These  they  fatten  with  truly  maternal 
solicitude." 

"  Foster-mothers." 

"And  of  carrying  the  latter  into  the  sun  when  it  is 
warm,  or  moving  them  from  one  chamber  to  another 
warmer  when  it  is  cold." 

"Nursemaids." 

"And  also  of  keeping  watch  over  all  the  inlets 
and  exits,  and  of  defending  the  community  in  case  of 
attack." 

"  And  soldiers.  Eeally  to  be  an  ant  is  by  no  means 
a  sinecure." 

"It  is  an  occupation  that  few  men  would  be  equal 
to.  But,  without  going  far,  we  can  see  for  ourselves 
some  ants  in  their  home.  I  noticed  yesterday  at  the 
bottom  of  the  garden  a  large  stone,  and  many  ants 

were  assembled  there.  Probably  by  lifting  it " 

And  without  waiting  for  the  end  of  the  sentence,  the 
three  friends  directed  their  way  to  a  distant  part  of 
the  garden. 

The  stone  was  raised.  Leon  had  not  been  deceived. 
There  was  at  once  apparent  a  confused  multitude  of 
tawny  bodies,  and  a  great  interlacement  of  feet,  as 
well  as  a  moving  and  running  about  in  all  directions. 
Then  gradually  order  was  seen  to  be  prevailing  in  the 
midst  of  this  disorde.-.  The  soil  forming  the  floor  of 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  135 

the  ants'  nest  was  pierced  by  many  little  orifices ;  one 
by  one  the  ants  entered  into  these  and  disappeared 
from  sight.  The  larvse  and  pupoe  (frequently  called 
ant-eggs)  being  unable  to  walk,  were  carried  by  their 
guardians,  three  or  four  of  whom  sometimes  joined 
in  a  common  effort  in  order  to  carry  these  precious 
burdens  out  of  the  way  of  danger  as  speedily  as 
possible. 

"  These  little  creatures  are  really  wanting  in 
nothing, :'  murmured  the  doctor.  "Intelligence, 
devotion— to  say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  their  per- 
severance is  celebrated  in  one  of  the  best  anecdotes  I 
know  as  coming  from  the  East,  though  whether  it 
be  Persian,  Tartar,  or  Mongol  I  do  not  now  recollect ; 
but  this,  however,  is  of  little  importance." 

The  word  anecdote  nearly  always  rouses  the  atten- 
tion and  excites  the  expectations  of  an  audience.  On 
this  occasion  Uncle  Bob  did  not  wait  to  be  pressed, 
but  continued — 

"It  was  at  the  time  when  Tamerlane  was  about  to 
commence  his  career  as  a  conqueror.  One  day,  his 
forces  having  been  overwhelmed,  almost  annihilated 
by  a  disastrous  defeat,  he  had  been  obliged  to  beat  a 
retreat,  which,  as  you  may  well  suppose,  had  put  him 
into  a  very  bad  humour. 

"  The  next  day,  secluded  in  his  tent,  he  was  asking 
himself  what  was  now  to  be  done,  when  he  noticed 
an  ant  climbing  with  much  effort  the  canvas  of  the 


'30 


THE    WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


tent.     With  a  fillip  he  made   the  intrusive  creature 
fall  to  the  ground. 

"  The  ant  again   ascended ;    a  second   fillip   from 
Tamerlane,   followed   by  a  third  and  a  fourth,   and 


WASPS     NEST  ;    WITH    PART   OF   THE    EXTERNAL    COVERING   REMOVED   TO 
SHOW     THE   CELLS. 


each  time   the  ant   again   mounted   the  canvas,  not 
appearing  in  any  way  discouraged. 

"History  is  silent  as  to  the  number  of  times  this 
was  repeated.  But  all  at  once,  Tamerlane,  striking 
his  forehead,  a  gesture  which  among  all  nations 
signifies  that  an  idea  has  occurred  to  a  man :  l  This 
example  should  be  followed,'  cried  he ;  'the  future 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  137 

belongs  to  the  persevering.'  And  leaving  the  ant  to 
continue  its  career,  Tamerlane  went  out,  and  became 
— Tamerlane.  And  thus  a  little  ant  once  decided  the 
fate  of  a  great  empire." 

While  the  doctor  was  telling  this,  the  last  of  the 
ants  had  disappeared,  and  the  three  observers  had 
already  turned  away  from  the  nest,  when  they  noticed, 
a  few  paces  away  in  the  alley,  a  child  approaching 
them,  carrying  a  large  parcel.  At  the  sight  of  the 
doctor  he  stopped  short  as  if  dumbfounded. 

"What  do  you  want,  my  little  one?"  said  Uncle 
Bob,  patting  him  kindly  on  the  cheek. 

"It  is  a  bumble-bee's  nest  that  I  have  found  and 
brought  to  you,  sir,"  said  he,  offering  the  parcel  to 
Le'on. 


X. 

More  Hymenoptera — Republic  and  monarchy  —  Bees — Expulsion  of  the 
swarm — A  swarm  in  a  letter-box — Preparatory  measures  —  House- 
cleaning  and  repairs— Propolis — Wax,  honey— Saint  Bartholomew's 
day  in  a  hive— Egg-laying,  larvae  —  Regal  food — A  mortal  duel — 
Orthoptera — Cockroaches,  crickets,  grasshoppers,  &c. — Earwigs — Un- 
deserved censure  —  Extraordinary  increase  of  locusts  and  Blattae — A 
supposed  omission — Out  of  the  ranks  of  insects — The  Epeira  diadema — 
How  the  spider  spins  his  web — The  trap-door  spider,  navvy,  mason, 
and  upholsterer— Argyroneta — A  tent  under  water — The  struggle  for 


LEON  took  a  shining  new  silver  coin  from  his  purse, 
and  gave  it  to  the  child,  who  ran  gambolling  away. 

"  This  is  an  opportune  purchase,"  said  the  young 
naturalist,  as  he  located  the  great  nest  in  his  work- 
room. "Next  to  the  ants  among  the  Hymenoptera, 
we  shall  study  the  bees,  for  bees,  humble-bees,  wasps, 
and  hornets  are  all  of  one  kindred,  or  nearly  allied." 

"They  are  first  cousins,  and  the  ants  their  second 
cousins,"  said  Ke'ne.  "Well  done  !  I  like  families  so 
well  arranged.  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall  find  the 
bee-republic  another  model." 

"A  republic!  But  it  is  not  one.  The  ants  are 
democrats ;  the  bees  live  under  a  monarchy,  and 
moreover,  appear  neither  better  nor  worse  off  for  so 
doing. 

"  The  hive  is  made  up  of  a  queen,  of  five  hundred 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


'39 


to  twelve  hundred  males,  and  of  fifty  to  thirty  thou- 
sand sterile  workers.     In  this  little  world  each  one 


SWARM    OF   BEES. 


has  his  appointed  place.  If  we  follow  the  movements 
of  a  young  swarm  from  the  moment  when,  being 
sufficiently  strong  to  shift  for  itself,  it  is  expelled 


i4o  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

from  the  paternal  abode,  we  shall  see  the  bees,  like  a 
little  buzzing  cloud,  wandering  about  from  tree  to 
tree,  sometimes  stopping  and  clustering  together  in  a 
dense  mass,  until  a  new  home  is  found,  or  one  is 
provided  by  some  bee-keeper.  "When  they  escape 
being  thus  appropriated,  the  new  home  is  usually  in 
a  hollow  tree  trunk,  an  old  wall,  or  some  similar 
shelter.  I  have  known  bees  to  take  up  their  abode 
at  the  top  of  a  steeple.  Quite  recently,  in  some 
village  of  the  Lower  Seine  whose  name  I  have  forgot- 
ten, an  inexperienced  swarm  found  no  better  course 
than  to  install  itself  in  the  letter-box  of  the  post-office. 

"  The  dwelling  place  being  selected,  the  bees  cleanse 
and  prepare  it ;  they  close  accurately  all  its  openings 
except  one,  and  they  cement  the  interior  by  means  of 
a  varnish  called  propolis.  This  substance  is  also  used 
for  another  purpose.  If,  by  some  chance,  an  intruder 
should  find  its  way  into  the  habitation,  they  expel  it, 
either  living  or  dead,  when  it  is  not  of  too  great  a 
size  for  their  powers.  But  sometimes  it  proves  to  be 
too  heavy  to  be  ejected,  and  what  then  is  to  be  done  ? 
"With  such  a  carcass  within  it  the  dwelling  would  not 
be  habitable. 

"  The  bees  are  not  embarrassed  by  such  an  affair. 
They  procure  a  supply  of  propolis,  make  use  of  it  to 
enshroud  the  body,  and  so,  by  this  novel  mode  of 
embalming  prevent  the  access  of  air  to  it,  after  which 
there  is  no  further  reason  for  apprehension :  a  sort  of 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  141 

mausoleum  or  monument,  standing  in  the  middle  of 
the  hive,  remains  the  sole  vestige  of  the  deceased 
enemy." 

"  Certainly  very  ingenious.  But  now,  about  wax 
and  honey  ?  " 

"I  am  coming  to  that.  As  soon  as  the  abode  is 
made  habitable  the  workers  in  wax  begin  to  fabricate 
the  hexagonal  cells  with  which  you  are  familiar,  and 


FRAGMENT    OF    COMB,    WITH    BEES   AT   WOKE   ON   IT. 

which  serve  the  double  purpose  of  storehouses  for 
provisions  and  of  cradles  for  the  future  posterity. 

"  This  wax  is  secreted  by  the  bees.  Formerly  it  was 
supposed  to  be  gathered  from  flowers,  but  it  is  now 
known  that  it  is  secreted  by  means  of  a  special  struc- 
ture on  the  hinder  part  of  the  body,  and  that  it  is  not 
pollen,  kneaded  or  altered  by  working. 

"With  regard  to  honey,  it  appears  that  they  in 


1 42  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

the  first  place  obtain  it  from  flowers,  from  which  they 
abstract  it  by  suction,  and  disgorge  it  into  the  cells  of 
the  comb.  When  everything  is  prepared,  the  queen 
leaves  the  hive,  takes  a  flight  in  the  air,  and  returns 
to  lay  her  eggs.  After  this  moment  all  the  males  are 
massacred  without  any  mercy." 

"  Without  sparing  any  ?  I  think  this  detracts 
much  from  the  idyl  of  the  bee.  I  was  inclined  to 
fancy  them  models  of  all  the  virtues  !  You  were  say- 
ing that  the  queen  returns  to  lay  — 

"  An  egg  in  each  cell ;  but,  like  a  prudent  manager, 


DBOXE,  OB  MALE  OF  THE  HONEY  BEE. 

she  proceeds  in  a  recognised  order :  first  the  eggs  of 
workers,  then  the  eggs  that  are  to  produce  males, 
and  lastly,  in  much  larger  cells,  eggs  from  which 
queens  are  to  arise,  these  latter  at  intervals  of  some 
days,  in  order  that  several  queens  shall  not  be  born 
together,  for  this  would  probably  give  rise  to  fatal 
disturbances." 

"Such  a  proceeding  may  be  called  the  perfection  of 
foresight.    Offspring,  and  the  future  tranquillity  of  the 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  143 


society  are  definitely  assured,  supposing,  as  you  say, 
that  the  eggs  for  queens  do  not  fail." 

"This  latter  contingency  has  been  provided  for  as 
well  as  the  others.  The  larvae  appear  after  two  or 
three  days,  and  are  fed  by  the  attendants  of  the  hive 
for  five  or  six  days.  Then  they  cease  to  eat,  spin  a 
cocoon,  and  in  this  temporary  shroud  await  the 
moment  when  they  also  shall  become  perfect  bees. 

u  One  of  the  most  curious  facts  is  that  the  eggs  and 


COMMON   EARWIG. 


larvse  that  are  to  become  queens  are  the  same  as  the 
eggs  to  produce  the  larvae  of  workers.  It  is  the 
nutriment  given  to  them  that  differs :  while  the 
workers  receive  only  a  rather  thin  paste,  the  future 
queens  are  nourished  by  means  of  a  much  more  sub- 
stantial jelly.  So  that  if,  as  the  result  of  some  unfor- 
tunate event,  they  should  be  deprived  of  their  queen, 
they  select  a  well-to-do  larva  of  a  worker,  and  this, 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


by  virtue  of  the  more  substantial  and  efficacious  food, 
becomes  a  queen  capable  of  affording  eggs.  Besides 
being  nourished  with  this  superior  food,  the  queens 
also  are  reared  in  royal  cells,  of  a  larger  size  and 
different  form. 

"  Sometimes  it  happens  that,  in  spite  of  all  the  pre- 
cautions that  have  been  taken,  two  queens  attain  at 
the  same  time  their  complete  development  in  the 


FIELD-CRICKET.  (Gnjllm  campesi 


hive.  Then  there  arises  a  fatal  duel,  and  only  one  of 
the  two  may  remain  in  the  domain.  The  bees,  though 
such  industrious  little  creatures,  are  very  jealous  and 
intolerant.  But  suppose  we  return  to  the  garden  for 
a  little  ?  " 

It  was  now  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
the  crickets  and  grasshoppers  concealed  in  the  herbage 
commenced  their  deafening  noise. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  145 

"  These  belong  to  the  order  Orthoptera,"  said  Le*on ; 
"  the  only  one  we  have  not  discussed.  They  are  in- 
jurious and  destructive  creatures,  both  those  that  run, 
like  the  Blattse,  Mantides,  and  Forficulee  (earwigs), 
and  those  that  leap,  as  the  grasshoppers,  the  locusts, 
the  crickets,  and  the  mole-crickets." 

"  How,  then  !  Is  the  familiar  cricket  an  injurious 
creature  ?  If  so,  there  is  another  belief  the  less,  and 
Lamartine  was  not  correct  when  he  wrote  the  verse 
that  you  no  doubt  are  acquainted  with — 

"  '  Solitary  cricket, 

A  voice  from  underground, 
Arouse  thyself  and  sing 
A  song  for  me.'*   ' 

"As  we  are  speaking  of  Orthoptera,  can  you  tell 
me  if  earwigs  really  have  the  habit  popularly  attributed 
to  them  of  entering  the  ears  of  people  and  making 
their  lodging  there  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not ;  they  have  never  been  known  to  do 
such  a  thing.  It  is  a  mistake  that  is  probably  con- 
nected with  their  name.  This  is  perhaps  derived  from 
the  form  of  the  appendages  that  terminate  the  body,  or 
from  the  shape  of  the  wings  when  they  are  unfolded. 
Their  pincers  are  said  to  somewhat  resemble  in  form 
the  instrument  that  jewellers  formerly  made  use  of 

*  "  Grillon  solitaire, 

Voix  qui  sors  de  terre, 
Ah  !   reveille-toi 
Pour  moi." 


146  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

to  pierce  the  ears  of  young  people.  The  popular 
error  has  perhaps  arisen  from  some  misconception  thus 
suggested. 

"  The  statements  made  to  the  effect  that  in  Algeria 
the  attacks  of  locusts  are  a  most  serious  scourge  to 
the  inhabitants  are,  however,  no  error,  but  unfortu- 
nately are  only  too  true.  The  whole  of  the  vegeta- 
tion, even  to  the  last  leaf,  is  destroyed  and  every 
green  blade  has  disappeared  after  the  visit  of  one 
of  these  immense  clouds.  They  are  so  dense  and 
consist  of  such  enormous  numbers  that  in  1874  the 
railway  in  the  province  of  Algeria  was  blocked  by 
them. 

"  Indeed,  the  greater  part  of  the  insects  of  this  order 
are  very  prolific.  Ships  have  been  infested  with 
BlattaB  to  such  an  extent  that  it  has  been  found 
necessary  to  have  recourse  to  organised  fumigations 
to  destroy  them,  and  they  were  afterwards  taken 
away  by  bushels.* 

"  We  have  now,  I  believe,  passed  in  review  all  the 
orders  of  insects." 

"  All,  all  ?  "  asked  Bene*,  with  a  mysterious  intona- 
tion, something  like  that  which  the  sphinx  of  Thebes 
must  have  adopted  when,  according  to  legend,  he 
proposed  his  charades  to  those  passing  by. 

*  In  Cyprus,  during  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1881,  1,330  tons  of  the 
eggs  of  locusts  were  destroyed  at  the  instigation  of  the  British  Government. — 
Translator. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


H7 


A  MIGRATION    OF    LOCUSTS.       BENEATH   AEE    IMMATURE    LOCUSTS. 

"  Yes  each  one,  all.    Are  you  not  yet  satisfied  ?  " 
"  Well,"  said  the  Parisian,  who  in  point  of  fact  was 
not  at  all  sorry  that  he  was  able  to  catch  his  cousin 


148 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


tripping   in    connection   with   his   favourite   science, 
"by  some  curious  inadvertence  you  have  forgotten 


BLATTJE  (COCKBOACHES),   COMMONLY    CALLED    BLACK-BEETLES. 

an  important  group — one,  too,  that  is  not  the  least 
interesting  of  them." 

"  What  can  that  be  ?" 

"  Look  there  !  " 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  149 

Held  by  a  thread  between  two  branches  of  some 
bushes  there  was  a  large  spider,  Epeira  diadema, 
which,  quite  unaffected  by  being  the  subject  of  con- 
versation, was  calmly  taking  the  preliminary  steps 
towards  the  formation  of  its  net. 

"  You  are  both  right  and  wrong,"  said  Le*on. 
u  You  are  right,  for  I  had  no  recollection  of  the 
spiders ;  but  you  are  wrong,  inasmuch  as  spiders  are 
not  insects.  They  are  out  of  the  category,  as  they 
possess  eight  legs,  and  also  lungs.  The  Myriapoda 
(centipedes  and  thousand  legs)  also  form  a  sepa- 
rate class.  The  first  of  these  two  classes  is  named 
Arachnida.  The  ordinary  equivalent  of  this  scien- 
tific term  may  be  given  as  the  '  class  of  spiders ' ; 
the  second,  Myriapoda,  which  means,  'myriad  feet.' 
Now  we  shall  see  how  the  spinning  spiders  construct 
their  web."  * 

The  spider,  at  the  moment  when  the  young  men 
arrived,  -had  already  fastened  the  end  of  its  thread  to 
a  twig,  then  letting  itself  fall,  it  attached  the  other 
end  a  little  lower  down.  This  preliminary  part  of 
the  work  being  accomplished,  it  several  times  re- 

*  Those  who  dislike  the  spiders  found  in  our  houses  should  not  on  that 
account  allow  themselves  to  be  prejuduced  against  those  that  live  in  our 
fields  and  gardens.  These  latter  are  in  reality  valuable  friends  to  us  because 
of  the  little  insects  they  devour  as  food.  A  friend  of  ours,  who  lives  in 
Mauritius,  has  furnished  us  with  the  following  striking  example  of  this : 
"  In  some  portions  of  the  island  the  plantations  were  formerly  surrounded 
by  large  trees,  where  numerous  spiders  made  their  webs.  In  every  place 
where  these  trees  have  been  felled  and  the  spiders  destroyed,  little  insects, 
chiefly  Diptera,  have  directly  appeared  in  unexampled  abundance." 


i5o  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

traced  its  steps,  making  use  of  this  slender  thread  as 
a  bridge,  and  adding  a  new  thread  as  required.  Then 
when  this  portion  appeared  to  it  to  be  sufficiently 
strong,  it  prepared  the  other  radiating  lines  in  a 
similar  manner,  adding  finally  the  concentric  threads. 
There  then  only  remained  for  construction  the  hiding- 
place  in  which  the  proprietor  of  the  web  lies  in 
ambush  to  await  the  course  of  events.  This  den, 
made  out  of  a  leaf  that  the  spider  is  able,  by  means 
of  its  silk,  to  roll  into  the  form  of  a  cylinder,  is 
arranged  in  such  a  manner  that  the  creature  in  it 
is  made  aware  of  the  slightest  shock  that  may  be 
communicated  to  the  web,  and  also  so  that  it  can  run 
out  at  the  first  indication  and  pierce  with  its  veno- 
mous jaws  any  unfortunate  insect  that  has  allowed 
itself  to  be  captured. 

The  spider's  web  is  not  in  reality  formed  by  weav- 
ing :  it  is  simply  gummed,  and  Le*on  did  not  fail  to 
point  this  out.  "  The  substance  of  which  the  silk  is 
formed  is,"  he  said,  "  a  sort  of  viscous  gum,  secreted 
by  a  gland,  and  issuing  by  four  mammilla,  pierced 
by  a  multitude  of  little  holes.  Each  thread,  although 
it  appears  single  to  the  naked  eye,  is  in  fact  a  bunch 
of  threads  soldered  or  gummed  together,  and  drying 
on  contact  with  the  air,  after  having  been  secured 
to  the  other  threads  forming  the  structure  of  the 
web. 

"  Each  species,  moreover,  has  its  own  way  of  work- 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


ing,  and  constructs  its  web,  as  well  as  forms  its  den, 
in  its  special  manner.  The  trap-door  spider,  very 
common  in  the  south  of  France,  excavates  in  the 
earth  a  well,  or  pit,  of  about  one  or  two  feet  in 


TRAP-DOOE  SPIDER  (Ctenlza  fodiens)  AND  ITS  NEST. 

depth,  and  carefully  lined.  Like  a  wise  animal,  it 
closes  its  dwelling  by  a  lid,  a  true  door,  kept  in  place 
by  a  hinge,  and  closed  with  a  latch,  the  latch  being 
the  spider  itself.  The  inner  side  of  the  door  has 


'52 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


attached  to  it  some  strong  threads,  by  means  of  which 
the  spider,  holding  on  to  the  sides  and  the  lid,  at  the 
same  time  lock  and  lock-maker,  keeps  its  house  safely 
shut  up,  and  without  having  any  fear  of  losing  the 
door-key. 

"  But  of  all  the  spiders,  the  most  extraordinary  is 
perhaps  the  Argyroneta,  which  has  the  excessively 


ABGYBOXETA   AXD   ITS   AQTTATIC    BALLOON. 

odd   peculiarity  of  contructing  its  house  under  the 
water. 

"  It  is  perhaps  even  more  curious  that  this  water- 
spider  does  not  possess  any  special  organs,  that  would 
enable  it  to  breathe  and  live  at  large  in  the  midst  of 
the  liquid  element ;  the  Argyroneta,  in  fact,  breathes 
air  like  other  spiders.  When  it  is  on  the  point  of 
establishing  a  home,  it  begins  by  choosing  a  leaf  at 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  153 


the  surface  of  the  water,  in  order  to  form  with  this  a 
protection  for  the  edifice.  The  Argyroneta  being 
covered  with  hairs  and  pubescence,  air  adheres  to  its 
body,  giving  it  a  silvery  appearance  when  in  the 
water,  and  it  is  thus  enabled  to  live  for  some  time 
beneath  the  surface.  Being  thus  provided  with  a 
temporary  supply  of  air,  it  constructs  a  web  some- 
thing like  in  size  and  shape  to  a  thimble,  secured  by 
threads  to  neighbouring  plants.  It  then  ascends  to 


WATER-  SPIDER. 


the  surface,  and  again  descending  carries  with  it  a 
supply  of  air,  which  it  discharges  into  the  silken  web, 
and  repeats  this  operation  until  this  novel  kind  of 
balloon  is  sufficiently  inflated,  when  it  takes  up  its 
abode  therein  and  makes  excursions  in  search  of  prey, 
which  when  captured  it  carries  back  to  its  subaquatic 
balloon  and  devours  at  leisure. 

"  Father  de  Lignac  states,  moreover,  that  he  was 
acquainted  with  a  case  that  appears  almost  incredible, 


154 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


namely  that  two  Argyronetee  of  different  sexes,  having 
their  nests  placed  at  some  little  distance  from  one 
another,  had  actually  established  a  silken  gallery  of 
communication  between  them. 

"  I  think  you  will  admit  that,  however,  extraor- 


COBWEBS    AND    SPIDERS. 


dinary  may  be  the  natural  history  of  the  ants  and 
bees,  that  of  the  spiders  is  also  not  without  its 
interest,  and  may  induce  us  to  try  to  overcome  the 
feeling  of  repugnance  that  is  entertained  for  these 
creatures  by  many  people.  I  might  add  that  it  is 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  155 

said  that  spiders  are  not  insensible  to  the  charms 
of  music.  Although  it  is  so  well  known,  I  may 
remind  you  that  Pellisson,  when  he  was  in  the  Bas- 
tille  " 

Leon  suddenly  stopped.  Another  spider,  with 
enormous  legs  and  hungry  aspect, '  had  suddenly 
descended  on  the  newly  stretched  threads.  Possibly 
his  web  had  been  destroyed,  and  he  had  not  at  the 
time  the  material  in  his  possession  that  would  en- 
able him  to  construct  another,  so  that  no  resource 
remained  to  him  except  to  establish  himself,  by 
the  right  of  the  strongest,  on  the  territory  of  the 
other. 

The  legitimate  proprietor  fled  in  alarm.  At  first  it 
endeavoured  for  a  few  moments  to  resist,  but  soon 
perceiving  that  the  struggle  was  an  unequal  one,  it 
pitiably  retired  and  left  the  place. 

Rene,  who  had  watched  in  an  attentive  manner  all 
the  phases  of  this  drama,  wished  to  crush  the  usurper, 
but  Leon  prevented  him. 

"Why  destroy  it?"  said  he.  "It  is  but  obeying 
the  mandate  of  its  nature.  Everyone  must  live,  and 
if  the  first  spider  retired  so  promptly  it  was  probably 
that  it  felt  itself  able  to  construct  a  new  web.  More- 
over, have  we  men  the  right  to  show  ourselves  so 
severe  ?  " 

The  face  of  the  Parisian  grew  serious,  and  his 
memory  carrying  him  back  several  years,  Eene"  re- 


i£6  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

called  the  fact  that  if  spiders  impelled  by  hunger 
sometimes  usurp  the  place  of  others  in  order  to  live, 
there  were  also  men  who  had  allowed  to  escape  from 
their  lips  these  words  whose  shamefulness  should  not 
permit  them  to  be  forgotten — 
"  Might  is  greater  than  right." 


XL 


A  sailor's  marriage  at  Villers — Titles  of  nobility — A  strange  vessel — Good 
folk— An  acceptable  gift— The  Albatross. 

IT  will  be  recollected  that  Father  Lucas  had  given  an 
invitation  for  a  certain  Wednesday,  and  this  had  now 
come.  This  very  day  the  fisherman's  daughter  was  to 
be  married,  and  the  doctor  had  promised  to  be  present 
with  his  friends  at  the  ceremony. 

Uncle  Bob's  young  guest,  who  was  not  himself 
attached  to  the  old  fisher  by  any  tie,  was  delighted 
with  the  prospect  of  being  present — he,  a  Parisian  ! — 
at  a  ceremony  so  different  from  one  of  the  kind  at 
Paris.  "  A  sailor's  wedding,  fancy  that !  No  doubt  it 
will  be  a  funny  affair,"  but  the  mocking  remarks  and 
ironical  commentaries  at  the  tip  of  his  tongue  were 
arrested  beforehand  by  a  rather  stern  glance  from  the 
doctor.  It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed  that  Bene 
was  of  a  malicious  disposition ;  it  was  rather  that  he 
was  very  young,  and  a  little  rash  and  hare-brained. 
And  it  was  somewhat  in  this  state  of  mind  that  he 
entered  the  church,  and  awaited  with  some  curiosity 
the  arrival  of  the  affianced  pair  and  their  friends. 


iS8  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

He  had  not  long  to  wait.  Soon  the  noise  of 
measured  steps  was  heard  on  the  pavement,  and 
gravely  and  slowly  the  parents  and  friends  advanced. 

Father  Lucas  was  superb.  On  his  ample  breast 
were  displayed,  glistening  in  the  sun,  two  tiers  of 
medals,  all  earned  by  saving  the  lives  of  his  fellows 
at  the  risk  of  his  own.  And  yet  in  point  of  fact  the 
number  of  rescues  he  had  made  far  exceeded  that  of 
the  rewards  obtained. 

Amongst  the  surrounding  group  of  relatives,  of 
friends,  and  of  the  companions  of  his  toils,  there  were 
also  many  bearing  these  tokens  of  courage  and 
devotion,  which  on  the  breast  of  a  common  sailor 
figure  as  true  proofs  of  undoubted  deeds  of  courage, 
not  as  the  baubles  of  a  puerile  vanity. 

The  Parisian  could  not  but  be  impressed  and  he 
smiled  no  more. 

The  ceremony  was  performed  in  the  presence  of  a 
considerable  assembly  of  the  rough  and  simple  natives 
of  the  locality,  who  are  too  familar  with  the  perils  of 
the  deep  to  neglect  the  prayers  of  the  church.  After- 
wards the  wedded  pair  again  crossed  the  threshold  of 
the  church,  and  Father  Lucas  was  on  the  point  of 
again  entering  his  home,  when  he  felt  a  friendly  hand 
placed  on  his  shoulder.  He  turned  and  saw  it  was 
the  doctor. 

"  Can  you  speak  with  me  for  two  minutes  ?"  said 
the  latter. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  159 

"  Willingly,"  and  the  pair  receded  a  few  steps  in 
the  direction  of  the  beach. 

As  the  two  cousins  remained  behind  at  a  discreet 
distance,  "  You  may  come  with  us,"  called  Uncle  Bob ; 
"you  will  not  be  in  the  way." 

The  two  young  people  followed  with  some  eager- 
ness, for  their  curiosity  was  now  aroused.  Those 
invited  to  the  wedding  were  for  the  most  part  now 
gone  home  to  get  themselves  ready  for  the  festivity 
usual  in  such  cases,  so  that  no  one  else  noticed  the 
incident.  The  little  group'  had  reached  the  strand, 
when  all  at  once  the  fisherman  placed  his  open  hand 
above  his  eyes,  so  that  he  might  see  better  when  not 
inconvenienced  by  the  jays  of  the  sun. 

"Do  not  know  it,"  he  muttered  as  if  speaking  to 
himself.  "  It  is  very  strange.  Don't  know  it." 

Uncle  Bob  laughed  in  his  sleeve. 

"  You  don't  know  it !  What  is  it,  then?"  he  remarked. 

"  Good  gracious  !  Do  you  not  see  yon  white  bark, 
cutter-rigged,  stranded  below  there  on  the  sand,  and 
with  a  quite  new  flag  flying  at  the  top  of  the  mast  ? 
I  know  every  vessel  of  this  coast — know  them  all,  but 
that  I  don't  know  at  all.  I  cannot  recollect  it — unless 
it  is  some  pleasure-boat.  But  no,  that  is  out  of  the 
question:  it  is  in  too  good  a  state  and  then  it  is 
rigged  for  fishing." 

They  went  a  few  steps  nearer,  the  sailor  keeping 
his  eyes  steadily  fixed  on  it.  Then,  his  surprise  may 


i6o  THE    WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

be  guessed  when  he  saw  the  boat  salute  by  lowering 
its  flag. 

"  It  must  be  some  decent  people — very  polite  folk," 
cried  the  good  man.  "  I  don't  know  them,  but  it's 
all  the  same ;  I  shall  go  and  have  a  look  at  their  boat 
and  tell  them  what  an  old  sailor  thinks  about  them." 

"This  boat  is  for  you,"  said  the  doctor.  "It  is  my 
wedding-present.  You  will  be  able  to  go  about  with 
it,  take  friends  for  excursions,  go  and  see  your 
children,  make  your  shepherd's  round  according  to 
your  own  desire.  How  do  you  like  the  rigging  ?" 

The  sailor  was  standing  open-mouthed  and  quite 
dumb-founded — stupefied,  in  fact,  by  such  a  piece  of 
good  fortune,  which  it  would  never  have  occurred  to 
him  even  to  hope  for. 

"  Is  it  true — is  it  really  true,  what  you  are  telling 
me?  You  are  not  joking?  It  is  really  for  me,  this  fine 
boat,  and  all  its  rigging  and  tools  ?  Well,  well,  and 
I  accept  it  on  two  conditions.  One  is,  that  Mr.  Leon 
shall  be  its  godfather,  and  that  we  make  the  first 
voyage  together.  And  if  you  ever  want  to  make  a 
journey  to  Caen,  to  Courseuilles,  to  Etretat,  or  any- 
where else,  say  the  word,  give  only  a  sign,  and  old 
Lucas  will  take  the  tiller  for  you." 

And  then,  to  emphasize  the  sincerity  of  his  words, 
he  seized  the  doctor's  hands  with  his  own.  The  fiDgers 
of  the  scholar  almost  cracked  beneath  his  hearty  grasp, 
but  he  made  no  sign  of  complaint. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  161 

Then  the  boat  must  be  examined.  Lucas  poked  it 
about  and  investigated  it  with  the  thorough  attention 
of  a  craftsman.  It  was  in  fact  quite  new,  and  had 
been  brought  from  a  building-yard  at  Trouville  by 
some  sailors  according  to  a  plan  arranged  beforehand. 
It  was  large  enough  to  carry  five  or  six  persons,  but 
at  the  same  time  was  so  fitted  out  as  to  be  capable 
of  being  handled  by  one  man.  An  orlop  extending  to 
the  stern  both  increased  its  stability  and  assisted  in 
keeping  out  the  seas,  and  in  case  of  severe  weather 
was  capable  even  of  protecting  the  passengers.  As 
fittings  there  were  a  table,  some  folding  chairs,  and 
two  berths  arranged  on  each  side.  The  storage- 
place  for  the  sails  and  ropes  was  covered  by  the 
planking. 

"Everything  is  as  it  should  be,"  said  the  sailor 
after  a  minute  inspection.  u  In  fair  weather  I  could 
cross  the  Channel  in  it."  Then  suddenly  recollecting 
the  business  of  the  moment,  he  added,  "And  my 
mates,  I  was  forgetting  them.  "Won't  they  be  sur- 
prised when  I  show  them  your  present  after  we  have 
done  breakfast ! " 

After  having  again  pressed  the  hand  of  the  doctor, 
he  hurried  away  as  fast  as  his  old  legs  would  carry 
him. 

The  two  young  men  were  thoroughly  pleased 
without  any  pretence.  Uncle  Bob  had  in  fact  made 
three  happy  by  one  stroke,  for  if  Father  Lucas  was 
M 


1 62  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

the  owner  of  the  boat,  it  was  quite  evident,  that  they 
would  get  the  use  of  it.  So  the  doctor's  nephew  was 
able  to  say  with  reason — 

"  What  name  shall  we  give  to  our  vessel  ?" 
"That,  my  dear  boys,"  interrupted  the  donor,  "I 
have  been  obliged  to  attend  to  myself  already.  I  am 
sorry  for  it,  for  I  should  have  preferred  the  pleasure 
left  to  you.  But  our  law  in  France  is  as  imperative 
in  demanding  a  recognised  name  for  a  boat  taking  the 
sea  as  for  a  child  who  has  come  into  the  world.  I 
have  therefore  brought  our  new  acquisition  into  har- 
mony with  the  official  regulations  by  giving  it  a  name 
of  my  own  choice.  Eead  and  confirm." 

On  the  stern  of  the  vessel  the  young  men  saw,  on 
inspection,  a  carved  figure  of  a  white  bird  standing 
out  in  bold  relief,  with  its  wings  unfolded,  while 
above  it  in  gilded  letters,  and  just  then  brilliant  in 
the  rays  of  the  sun  was  the  name — 

THE  ALBATEOSS. 


XII. 

A  letter — Logical  inferences. — Pietro  Franceschini — The  Odysseus  of  a 
gendarme — An  account  of  the  acquaintance  of  Franceschini  and  Uncle 
Bob— The  two  barometers— A  false  prophet. 

"MB,.  LEON — 
"  DEAR  SIR, 

"  My  labels  are  completed,  my  collection  of 
forest  birds  and  animals  is  mounted  and  varnished. 
You  kindly  promised  to  classify  them  for  me.  Thank- 
ing you  again  for  your  consideration,  I  have  the 
honour  to  inform  you  that  you  will  find  me  at  home 
Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday,  from  two  till  four  in 
the  afternoon.  If  any  of  my  duplicates  should  be  of 
use  to  you,  it  will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  place 
them  at  your  disposal. 

"  I  am,  Sir, 
"  Your  very  true  and  obedient  servant, 

"  PIETRO  FRANCESCHINI. 

"Keeper. 

"  P.S.     My  obedient  compliments,  if  you  please, 
to  your  father,  Dr.  Boberral." 

A  correct  logician,   or  even   a   police   magistrate, 
(happily   the   two   are    sometimes   combined   in   one 


i64-  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

person)  into  whose  hands  this  letter  might  have  come, 
would  undoubtedly  have  drawn  certain  inferences 
from  it,  such  as — 

1.  That  the  writer  of  this  letter  was  a  gamekeeper. 
Not  a  difficult  inference  this,  seeing  that  he  announced 
it  himself. 

2.  That  the  keeper  was  a  Corsican.     At  least  his 
name,  which  was  very  Italian,  pointed  to  this. 

3.  That  this  Corsican  gamekeeper  was   a  retired 
gendarme.     This  might  be  gathered  from  the  style  of 
his   letter,   which   while  striving  to  be  as   polite  as 
possible,   still  retained  an  official  smack,  and  some- 
thing of  the  formal  and  precise  manner  of  a  legal 
document. 

4.  That  the  aforesaid  Corsican,  keeper,  ex-gendarme, 
employed  his  spare  time  in  the  formation  of  a  collec- 
tion of  the  animals  of  the  locality,  and  that  he  had 
not,  from  lack  of  the  requisite  knowledge,  been  able 
to  arrange  it  himself. 

5.  Lastly,  if  he  were  acquainted  with   the  good 
reputation  of  Uncle  Bob,  that  this  Corsican,  ex-gen- 
darme, presently  gamekeeper  and  natural  history  col- 
lector, had  been  the  recipient  of  kind  offices  from  the 
learned  doctor. 

A  logician  who  should  have  made  all  these  infer- 
ences would  not  have  been  in  error. 

Pietro  Franceschini,  after  having  patrolled  on  horse- 
back various  parts  of  France  under  the  insignia  of  the 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  165 

well-known  cocked  hat,  had  just  attained  the  some- 
what fabulous  position  of  non-commissioned  officer, 
when  the  war  between  France  and  Germany  was 
declared  in  1870. 

Slightly  wounded  at  Wissemburg,  he  had  been  able, 
thanks  to  his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  district,  to 
escape  the  clutches  of  the  Prussians,  and  after  a  multi- 
tude of  wanderings,  a  veritable  Odysseus,  he  had  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  Paris  a  few  days  before  the  siege, 
just  in  time  to  be  enlisted  as  non-commissioned  officer 
in  a  company  of  pioneers. 

This  hazardous  and  adventurous  life  was  exactly  to 
his  taste.  Frequently  at  night-fall  with  his  men  he 
quitted  the  besieged  city,  and  came  into  contact  with 
the  advanced  guard  of  the  Germans,  harassing  them, 
and  letting  them  see,  as  he  said,  some  of  the  dodges  of 
a  gendarme.  As  hardy  as  a  real  Corsican,  and  cun- 
ning as  a  fox,  he  invariably  brought  these  nocturnal 
expeditions  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion,  and  when  he 
returned  at  daybreak  within  the  line  of  the  fortifications, 
he  contrived  to  bring  with  him  one  or  more  prisoners, 
as  he  did  not  wish  "  to  get  rid  of  a  good  habit." 

But,  as  says  an  old  proverb,  "  The  pitcher  goes 
often  to  the  well."  As  the  result  of  taking  so  many 
others  by  surprise,  he  had  one  night  been  taken  by 
surprise  himself.  In  the  skirmish  he  had  received  a 
formidable  slash  across  the  face,  and  at  the  same  mo- 
ment a  huge  demon  of  a  Uhlan  pierced  his  shoulder  by 


1 66  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

a  thrust  with  his  lance.  In  this  pitiable  condition  he 
was  rescued  with  difficulty  by  his  comrades,  and 
brought,  they  said  mortally  wounded,  to  the  ambulance 
of  Uncle  Bob. 

Interested  by  the  difficulty  of  the  case,  the  surgeon 
set  himself,  whether  or  no,  to  save  him  from  his  des- 
perate state.  He  spared  none  of  his  skill  or  pains  in 
dressing  his  wounds,  and  rendering  him  a  whole 
man.  Franceschini,  too,  performed  his  part  of  the  task 
by  deciding  with  the  obstinacy  peculiar  to  a  man  of 
his  nature  and  calling,  that  he  would  not  die  as  long 
as  there  was  the  slightest  chance  of  living.  It  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  add  that  he  vowed  eternal 
thanks  to  the  good  surgeon  for  his  almost  miraculous 
cure. 

Two  or  three  years  afterwards,  a  keeper's  place  in 
the  forest  of  Touques  being  vacant,  the  gendarme,  who, 
in  spite  of  his  wounds,  was  still  whole  of  eye  and  of 
foot,  easily  obtained  it  on  the  recommendation  of  his 
kind  saviour. 

At  the  moment  when  our  acquaintance  with  him 
commences  Franceschini  is  a  man  of  about  fifty  years, 
thin,  of  nervous  temperament  and  military  bearing, 
with  hair  closely  cropped  in  conformity  with  the  regu- 
lation cut,  and  heavy,  white,  hanging  moustache.  His 
wound,  usually  not  very  conspicuous  on  his  parchment- 
like  skin,  sometimes  becomes,  in  certain  states  of  the 
weather,  more  conspicuous,  and  then  appears  in  the 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


167 


form  of  a  violet  line  extending  from  the  left  eye  to  the 
upper  lip. 

The  day  after  the  receipt  of  his  letter,  the  doctor 
pleased  with  the  prospect  of  again  seeing  "the  old 
lion,"  engaged  a  phaeton  for  the  afternoon,  it  being 
four  good  leagues  from  Villers  to  the  keeper's  house, 


A    CHKAP   BAEOMETEE. 


and  the  doctor  having  left  his  horses  and  carriage 
in  Paris,  in  order  to  oblige  himself  to  take  walking 
exercise. 

The  day  was  ushered  in  with  every  appearance  of 
becoming  very  warm. 

"  We  shall  want  sunshades  rather  than  umbrellas," 


1 68  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

said  Kene",  as  they  were  getting  themselves  ready  for 
a  start. 

"Let  us  see  what  our  barometers  say,"  replied 
Leon ;  and  he  entered  his  workroom.  "  First  let  us 
look  at  No.  1." 

No.  1  was  a  dial-faced  aneroid  barometer  hanging 
on  the  wall.  Leon  gently  tapped  it  with  his  finger. 
The  needle  did  not  move. 

"  The  barometer  is  not  rising,"  said  he. 

"But  it  is  not  falling,"  answered  Kene,  "  and  why 
should  you  expect  it  to  rise  ?  It  is  already  standing 
nearly  at  fine  weather." 

"  Let  us  look  at  No.  2." 

No.  2  was  a  very  different  instrument.  The  case 
of  a  barometer  was  replaced  by  a  vase  three-parts 
filled  with  water  and  covered  with  a  piece  of  muslin, 
the  graduated  scale  by  a  genuine  ladder  of  wood,  and 
the  needle  by  a  green  frog  with  brilliant  reflections, 
and  which  at  this  moment  had  chosen  to  locate  itself 
at  the  bottom  of  the  receptacle. 

"  Hum  !  "  said  Leon,  "  this  barometer  is  very  low  ; 
which  seems  to  show — 

"  That  your  frog  is  silly  enough  to  like  the  water," 
replied  Kene,  who  was  determined  to  start,  come  what 
might. 

A  lively  cracking  of  whips  interrupted  the  conver- 
sation. It  was  the  doctor,  who,  as  he  was  not  going  to 
walk,  was  determined  at  any  rate  to  have  the  pleasure 
of  driving  the  party  himself. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  169 

There  was  no  further  expectation  of  a  disappoint- 
ment, for  the  carriage  was  at  the  door.  Kene  turned 
to  the  vase,  saying  with  an  air  of  most  withering 
contempt — 

"  Adieu,  false  prophet." 

The  frog  did  not  see  any  necessity  for  a  reply.  He 
contented  himself  with  crouching  more  determinedly 
than  ever  at  the  bottom  of  his  receptacle,  Tvhile 
Kene  agilely  mounted  next  to  his  cousin.  Black, 
nose  in  the  air,  installed  himself  between  the  legs  of 
his  master.  The  carriage  disappeared. 


XIII. 

The  Eoad  to  Touques  on  a  fair-day — Reptiles — An  example  to  be  imitated 
by  the  market-gardeners  of  France — Doubtful  forms — A  reptile  with 
a  strong  anatomical  resemblance  to  a  bird — Birds  provided  with  teeth 
— Uses  of  reptiles — Barometer  No.  2  seems  likely  to  be  right. 

AT  Touques  it  was  the  day  of  the  fair,  and  the  road 
to  the  town,  though  usually  rather  deserted,  was  on 
this  occasion  traversed  by  many  of  the  country  people. 

Milk-carts  quite  covered  with  mud,  their  usual 
complement  of  tin  cans  replaced  for  the  time  being  by 
children  rolling  about  in  the  straw ;  tilburys  driven 
by  heavy  brazen-faced  farmers,  wearing  blouses  and 
silk  hats ;  cabriolets,  whose  leathern  hood,  reddened 
by  long  exposure  to  the  storms,  tottered  and  groaned, 
the  iron  springs  supporting  it  being  old  and  rusty  ; 
in  short  all  sorts  and  sizes  of  vehicles,  known  and  un- 
known, probable  and  improbable,  had  apparently  been 
brought  into  use,  and  raised  thick  clouds  of  dust 
which  almost  blinded  the  travellers  on  foot. 

Occasionally  there  might  be  seen  groups  of  lasses 
in  their  Sunday  best,  going  in  little  parties  together, 
hand  in  hand,  their  important  business  being  to  select 


TIW  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  171 

from  the  wares  of  the  hawkers  at  the  fair  a  few  gaudy 
ribbons  and  perhaps  some  jewellery  of  brass  or  gilt. 

Here  and  there,  in  the  distance,  might  be  distin- 
guished some  rather  denser  cloud  of  dust,  and  as  it 
was  approached  it  proved  to  be  a  herd  of  oxen,  driven 
probably  by  a  boy  in  a  serge  blouse  and  wooden  shoes, 
and  armed  with  a  large  stick.  Now  and  again  the 
weapon  would  fall  with  a  dull  thud  on  one  of  the 
tawny  rumps,  and  the  enormous  beast,  shaking  his  head 
and  neck,  would  break  for  a  few  seconds  into  a  lumber- 
ing trot  and  again  relapse  into  his  lazy  progress. 

The  heat  was  stifling  ;  occasionally  the  horse  would 
shake  its  mane  and  neck  with  impatience,  hoping  to 
get  rid  of  some  of  the  flies  that  harassed  it;  and 
under  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun  the  varnish  of  the 
vehicle  cracked  and  melted,  burning  and  staining  the 
fingers  that  touched  it. 

Under  such  conditions  conversation  was  not  likely 
to  be  very  animated  ;  the  travellers  wiped  their  brows, 
the  dog  panted  and  hung  out  its  tongue. 

Eene  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence.  Turning 
round  to  Leon : 

"Do  you  still  believe  in  your 

"  Eeptile,"  replied  his  cousin  who  was  dropping  off 
to  sleep. 

"  Eeptile !  So  be  it.  I  thought,  however,  that 
reptiles  had  no  legs.  Probably  you  will  tell  me  that 
there  are. several  classes  of  them?" 


1 72  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

Just  then  the  carriage  was  passing  through  an 
avenue  of  large  trees ;  and  the  cool  shade  a  little 
refreshed  the  young  naturalist,  who  thereupon  decided 
that  he  would  give  the  information  asked  from 
him. 

"  Here,  in  a  few  words,  is  a  summary  of  it.  There 
are  four  distinct  orders  of  reptiles — * 

"  The  Ophidia,  or  serpents. 

"  The  Saurians,  or  lizards. 

"  The  Batrachians,  or  frogs. 

"  The  Chelonians,  or  tortoises. 

"  With  the  possible  exception  of  the  viper  (and  in 
Normandy  the  bite  of  the  viper  is  not  usually  very 
dangerous),  all  our  reptiles  are  valuable  friends  to  the 
agriculturist.  Although  we  are  destitute  of  tortoises 
in  the  north  of  France,  yet  the  lizards  and  frogs  des- 
troy a  great  quantity  of  slugs  and  little  insects.  The 
toad  himself,  the  hideous  and  repulsive  toad,  is  of  such 
real  utility  that  the  English  market-gardeners,  who 
in  this  respect,  it  would  appear,  are  better  informed 
than  our  own,  are  said  to  purchase  them  every  year, 
in  Paris,  in  enormous  quantities,  and  pay  as  much 
as  a  penny  apiece  for  them.  On  the  other  hand,  it 
must  be  admitted  that  in  several  other  countries  the 


*  At  the  present  time  the  frogs  or  Batrachia,  are  not  classed  with  reptiles, 
but  are  considered  to  belong  to  another  class  called  Amphibia.  As,  however, 
the  crocodiles  are,  by  many  naturalists,  separated  from  the  Sauria  as  a 
distinct  order,  the  number  of  orders  of  reptiles  may  still  be  said  to  be  four. — 
Translator. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


175 


reptile  world  is  represented  by  crocodiles,  alligators, 


FBOGS     EGGS   A>'D    TADPOLES    PARTIALLY    DEVELOPED. 


snakes,  and  other  creatures  of  very  bad  reputation. 
In  a  certain  sense  reptiles  may  be  termed  hybrids, 


176  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

or  rather  animals  of  transition.  Frogs,  toads,  and 
salamanders  undergo  metamorphoses,  something  like 
insects,  and  serpents  change  their  skins  in  a  similar 
way  to  the  Crustacea. 

"  By  the  conformation  of  their  legs  and  of  their 
skeleton,  the  Batrachians,  the  Saurians,  and  the  Tor- 
toises approach  the  mammalia,  while  the  cloaca  of  the 
intestine,  and  their  mode  of  reproduction  by  eggs,  are 
points  of  relationship  with  hirds.  On  the  other  hand, 
serpents  and  eels  (members  of  the  fish  tribe)  have  an 
air  of  resemblance  or  kindred  that  cannot  be  ignored. 
By  the  way,"  added  Leon,  who  had  become  quite 
wide-awake,  "  do  you  know  which  of  the  reptiles  it  is 
that  anatomically  most  resembles  a  bird  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  Well,  it  is  the  tortoise  :  the  mandibles,  the  conso- 
lidated breastbones — "  * 

"  A  bird  and  a  tortoise !  What  a  pair  of  anatomical 
relatives  !  However  much  the  sternum  may  be 
soldered,  I  shall  wait  to  admit  the  resemblance  until 
chickens  have  teeth." 

"  At  present  they  have  not  teeth,"  said  the  doctor ; 
"  but  they  have  had  them ;  certainly  not  chickens 
exactly,  but  some  fossil  birds  discovered  a  few  years 
ago  by  the  American  geologists.  And  it  may  be 
mentioned  as  a  coincidence  that  tortoises  with  teeth 

»  The  breast  or  plastron  of  the  tortoise  is  not  now  considered  homologous 
with  the  breastbone  of  birds. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  179 

have  been  discovered  in  the  formations  of  the  Tertiary 
epoch.  But  to  return  to  our  native  reptiles  :  I  shall 
remind  you  of  the  lizards,  literally  our  friends,  for 
they  are  easily  tamed." 

"  I  should  think  so  ! "  exclaimed  Eene ;  "I  kept  a 
whole  tribe  of  them  in  my  desk  at  school." 

"  The  so-called  salamanders,  to  which  in  old  days 
wonderful  properties  were  attributed,  amongst  others 


CAPILLARY   NETWORK   OF   THE   FROo's  FOOT  :     A,  AKTERY  ; 
C,  CAPILLARY  J     V,  VEIN. 


that  they  could  withstand  fire.  Speaking  of  that,  I 
often  wonder  what  fables  the  ancients  might  have 
manufactured  about  the  axolotls,  the  strange  reptiles 
that  are  imported  here  from  Mexico,  and  are  beginning 
to  replace  in  aquariums  the  gold-fish  now  become 
rather  too  commonplace.  Finally  come  the  frogs, 
already  alluded  to.  They  supply  us  also  with  a  ready 
means  of  observing  the  circulation  of  the  blood.  This 


1 80  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

can  be  seen  with  a  good  magnifying  power  in  the 
transparent  web  or  membrane  uniting  their  toes. 
And  we  must  not  forget  the  green  frogs,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  act  as  cheap  barometers." 

"And  who  are  worth  about  as  little  as  they  cost," 
ejaculated  Kene*  who  still  entertained  a  malicious  feel- 
ing towards  barometer  JS"o.  2. 

Just  then  a  prolonged  rumbling  was  heard  in  the 
distance ;  and  while  the  doctor  and  Leon  were  listen- 
ing with  eagerness,  "  It  is  some  heavily  laden  vehicle 
going  by,"  added  the  Parisian.  There  was,  however, 
no  further  possibility  of  mistake  :  a  few  minutes  after- 
wards the  first  gleams  of  lightning,  precursors  of 
an  approaching  storm,  were  seen  behind  the  great 
trees. 

"Look,  obstinate  man!"  said  Leon.  "These,  I 
presume,  are  the  lamps  of  your  vehicle  !  " 

The  storm  rapidly  increased;  the  cloud,  at  first 
distant  and  almost  imperceptible  in  the  blue  sky, 
increased,  and  soon  the  azure  firmament  was  covered 
as  if  with  an  immense  dark  veil  of  slatey  grey. 

For  a  moment  the  little  caravan  stopped  discomfited. 
But  as  they  were  less  than  a  mile  from  Touques,  it 
was  decided  to  push  on  to  there,  and  take  shelter  in 
the  meantime. 

The  doctor  drove  on  the  equipage  with  a  heavy 
stroke  or  two  of  the  whip,  and  a  few  minutes  afterwards 
they  reached  one  of  the  first  houses.  It  was  an  inn, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  181 

placed  at  the  beginning  of  the  village,  as  is  usual  in 
country  places. 

Feeling  thankful  for  this  usage,  our  four  travellers, 
Black  being  included,  hurried  to  enter  the  shelter  that 
so  opportunely  presented  itself. 


xrv. 

A  village  inn  at  Touques  in  the  year  of  grace,  1884 — At  the  fair — The 
g-r-r-r-rand  menagerie — A  trade  truly  requiring  a  natural  calling — Two 
anecdotes  of  tamers. 


IT  was  none  too  soon.  Just  as  our  travellers  entered 
the  tap-room,  the  storm  burst  forth  with  fury,  accom- 
panied by  torrents  of  rain  and  hail,  which  rattled  like 
a  fusillade  and  rebounded  from  the  windows. 

Leon,  Rend,  and  the  doctor  took  up  a  position  in  a 
corner,  while  the  ostler  took  charge  of  the  horse  and 
carriage,  and  placed  them  under  shelter. 

The  room  into  which  our  friends  had  just  entered 
was  a  large  square  apartment.  The  walls  were  covered 
with  a  flowered  paper,  and  on  them  were  displayed 
three  framed  engravings,  one  representing  some  Arabs 
overthrown  by  a  sort  of  lion ;  another  some  Indians 
in  process  of  being  devoured  by  an  animal  that  was 
supposed  to  be  a  tiger.  The  third  was  the  capture 
of,  probably,  Sebastopol.  Interspersed  between  these 
three  artistic  efforts  were  portraits,  one  halfpenny 
each,  of  distinguished  persons  and  celebrated  criminals, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  183 

alternating  with  bills,  blue,  yellow,  red,  announcing 
the  wonderful  properties  of  divers  new  elixirs  and 
little  known  liquors,  with  the  names  and  addresses  of 
the  makers  in  letters  of  gold. 

At  the  end,  a  gigantic  yellow  bill  announcing  the 
times  of  departure  and  arrival  of  the  trains  of  the 
Western  Kailway  Co.,  served  in  lieu  of  a  curtain.  Such 
was  the  establishment,  and  many  like  it  may  be  found 
quite  near  to  some  fashionable  bathing-places  —  a 
village  alehouse  endeavouring  to  assume  the  appear- 
ance of  a  town  hotel,  on  account  of  the  wandering 
tourists  who  occasionally  find  their  way  to  it. 

The  peasants,  excited  by  the  native  cider,  the 
intoxicating  beverage  made  from  the  apples  of  the 
district,  and  possibly  also  by  the  unusual  incidents  of 
the  day,  smoked,  vociferated,  and  shouted,  each  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  and  rattled  down  their  dominoes  on 
the  marble  tables  with  noisy  emphasis. 

The  doctor,  as  well  as  his  two  companions,  found 
himself  ill  at  ease  in  so  numerous  and  boisterous  an 
assembly,  so  that  as  the  first  violence  of  the  storm  had 
passed,  the  downpour  of  thunder- showers  and  hail 
being  succeeded  by  a  steady  rain,  he  hastened  to  get 
out  and  find  some  other  shelter. 

A  few  paces  farther  on  there  was  the  outskirts  of 
the  fair,  with  its  rifle-shooting  at  a  target  of  pipes,  its 
peripatetic  pastrycooks,  whose  small  establishments 
diffused  for  some  distance  around  them  odours  of  the 


i84  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

dripping-pan  and  burning  fat ;  its  bowling-places  with 
their  grotesque  announcements ;  the  dealers  in  sweets, 
arrayed  in  the  guise  of  Turks,  and  continually  tintin- 
abulating  their  little  bells ;  lotteries  where  children 
always  gain  prizes  of  indigestible  gingerbread,  and 
their  parents,  occasionally,  of  glassware  and  knicknacks 
of  a  nature  supposed  to  be  artistic,  that  might  well 
arouse  the  cupidity  of  the  negroes  in  Africa. 

Still  farther  on,  side  by  side  with  the  caravans 
painted  in  yellow,  and  doing  double  duty  as  dwelling- 
places  and  as  temples  of  the  travelling  fortune-tellers, 
conjurors,  intelligent  mesmerics,  all  sorts  of  other 
exhibitions  were  drawn  up :  deformed  dwarfs,  very 
ugly  giants,  with  huge  painted  canvases,  explanatory 
announcements,  and  occasionally  a  chained  monkey, 
rickety,  angry,  and  grimacing  at  the  door. 

Uncle  Bob  cast  glances  right  and  left  in  search  of 
some  respectable  entertainment  where  they  could 
decently  await  the  cessation  of  the  rain,  and  soon  per- 
ceived a  large  canvas  structure.  On  the  front  of  this 
edifice  appeared  an  inscription  some  twenty  feet  in 
length — 

"  GKAKD  ASIATIC  MENAGEEIE." 

They  entered  immediately,  the  only  delay  being 
caused  by  Black,  to  whom  the  odour  of  lions  appeared 
to  be  but  doubtfully  attractive. 

The  menagerie  was  arranged,  like  others  of  the  sort, 


AFRICAN    LIoN. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  187 

with  the  cages  placed  side  by  side.  Behind  the  thick 
iron  bars  were  some  lanky  panthers  and  rheumatic 
lions,  dozing,  or  looking  with  a  stupid  air  at  the  visi- 
tors who  were  waiting  the  "  description." 

Occasionally  a  lion  or  other  beast  of  prey,  would 
give  utterance  to  a  dull  growling,  and  the  blue  long- 
tailed  parrots,  the  yellow-crested  cockatoos,  hanging 
to  their  perches  like  trapezes,  replied  by  discordant 
shrieks. 

A  somewhat  good-looking  young  woman,  in  a  green 
velvet  bodice  with  silver  embroidery,  skin  tights  and 
riding-boots,  commenced  the  descriptive  speech. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,  this  is  the  terrible  lion  of 
Nubia.  His  thick  mane,  his  enormous  strength,  his 
majestic  gait,  the  echoing  thunder  of  his  voice,  have 
rightly  procured  for  him  the  title  of  king  of  the 
animals. 

"With  a  single  stroke  of  his  tail  he  prostrates  the 
strongest  and  most  powerful  man,  and  by  the  strength 
of  his  terrible  jaw  he  conquers  the  largest  animals." 

All  this  was  said  in  one  note,  with  a  shrill  and  gab- 
bling utterance,  something  after  the  fashion  of  a  child 
rapidly  repeating  a  lesson. 

Then  changing  her  tone  and  striking  the  bars  of  the 
cage  with  her  pointing-stick,"  Get  up,  Sultan  !  " 

The  awkward  animal  raised  itself  in  a  reluctant 
manner,  and  the  tamer  continued. 

"  Here  is  the  crocodile"   (she  pronounced  it  crrro- 


i88  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

cccodille),  "also  called  the  alligator,  of  the  river  Nile, 
whose  proverbial  ferocity  has  been  related  by  many 
travellers." 

"Another  mistake,"  muttered  Leon;  "crocodile 
and  alligator  are  two  very  distinct  creatures." 

"  In  these  distant  countries,  woe  to  whoever  allows 
himself  to  be  surprised  by  this  terrible  amphibian  ! 
For  the  crocodile  of  the  Nile  seizes  its  prey  between 
its  fearful  jaws,  and  dives  to  the  depths  of  the  waters 
to  devour  it." 

Then,  in  the  same  voice  with  which  she  had  addressed 
the  lion,  "  Come  now,  give  us  a  laugh,"  she  said,  and 
struck  the  terrific  jaws  with  her  stick. 

The  saurian  moved  a  little  in  its  bath,  opened  its 
eyes,  and  commenced  to  yawn,  making  a  noise  some- 
thing like  a  steam-engine  letting  off  steam.  This  was 
all  that  the  most  persevering  scholastic  efforts  of  the 
tamers  had  been  able  to  teach  it. 

The  girl  rapidly  covered  up  the  bath  with  some 
planks,  and  turning  her  back  to  this  not  very  fascin- 
ating subject,  continued  her  description. 

"  After  the  animals  of  the  torrid  zone,  we  come  to 
the  bear  of  the  polar  regions.  Captured  on  an  ice- 
berg." 

"  Come  away,"  said  the  doctor. 

They  made  their  exit,  leaving  the  tamer  to  celebrate 
in  hyperbolic  fashion  the  proverbial  ferocity  of  the 
polar  bear. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  189 

The  rain  was  nearly  over. 

"  What  an  occupation  !  "  said  Leon;  "  What  a  life,  to 
be  a  tamer  of  wild  beasts  !  " 

"Truly,"  his  cousin  replied,  "to  have  before  one 
every  morning  the  prospect  of  finishing  the  day  as  a 
snack  in  the  stomach  of  a  lion  or  the  bowels  of  a  tiger, 
and  never  be  able  for  five  minutes  to  feel  sure  that  one 


POLAE   BEAK. 


is  not  partly  eaten  !     Faugh !     I   should  want  to    be 
well  paid  if  I  were  to  accept  such  a  position." 

"  But  they  probably  would  not  be  anxious  to  take 
you,"  said  the  doctor.  u  The  very  danger  must  have 
some  sort  of  fascination  for  these  people,  and  keep  them 
to  their  wild  beasts  ;  and  the  proof  of  this  is  that  many 
of  them  are  quite  able,  if  they  wished  it,  to  pursue  a 
less  dangerous  calling. 


iqo  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

"  Indeed,  there  is  more  than  this.  If  they  have 
the  good  luck  to  possess  enough  to  retire  on  when  they 
are  getting  old,  it  is  only  with  the  greatest  reluctance 
that  they  will  consent  to  forsake  their  beasts.  I  knew 
a  very  rich,  retired  tamer,  who  kept  most  of  his  mena- 
gerie at  his  own  private  residence.  He  himself  took 
care  of  the  wild  beasts,  and  never  failed  each  morning 
to  go  and  smoke  his  pipe  and  read  his  paper  in  the 
society  of  '  his  lions.'  And  when  his  neighbours, 
who  could  not  reconcile  themselves  to  his  friends,  com- 
pelled him  to  part  with  them,  the  unfortunate  old  fellow 
was  ready  to  die  of  grief. 

"  Moreover,  danger  is  among  the  things  to  which 
one  grows  quite  accustomed,  as  you  may  learn  by 
inquiring  from  soldiers  and  sailors,  or  doctors  and 
the  officials  of  hospitals.  To  return  to  the  tamers, 
once  when  I  was  house-surgeon  at  the  hospital,  they 
brought  under  my  care  an  unfortunate  devil  who  had 
been  mauled  by  a  tiger.  His  body  was  simply  a  mass 
of  wounds ;  it  was  something  horrible  !  He  survived 
it,  however,  though  how  I  can  scarcely  imagine.  A 
little  time  afterwards,  as  I  was  crossing  the  court- 
yard of  the  hospital,  my  patient  came  up  to  me,  still 
enveloped  in  his  bandages,  almost  like  an  Egyptian 
mummy,  and  said,  '  Do  you  think  I  shall  be  in  a 
condition  to  make  my  reappearance  at  the  fair  at 
Rouen,  in  three  weeks'  time  ? ' 

"  He  was  positively  wearying  to  be   at  it  again; 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


191 


and  as  I  expressed  my  astonishment,  '  This  accident 
was  entirely  owing  to  my  own  stupidity,'  he  added. 
'  A  tamer  who  keeps  a  sharp  look-out  is  never  bitten 
by  his  animals.'  And,  heaven  pardon  me  !  but  I 
believe  he  added,  'Besides,  you  see,  we  never  die 

of  it; " 


XY. 

Return  to  the  cottage — Two  or  three  words  about  mammalia — The  stomach 
of  a  chewer  of  the  cud — A  well-applied  mythological  name — Terror  of 
Dame  Theresa — Disgusting  !  but  a  benefactor — Uncle  Bob  releases  a 
criminal  condemned  to  death. 


OUR  friends  had  returned  to  the  itm.  Although  the 
clouds  were  still  very  threatening,  they  nevertheless 
promised  to  leave  an  hour  or  two  of  fine  weather,  and 
the  doctor  took  advantage  of  this  to  order  the  horse 
to  be  put  to,  pay  the  score,  and  start  again,  with  a 
smart  trot,  on  the  road  back  to  Yillers. 

The  rain  had  not  produced  a  deep  mud,  though  it 
had  drenched  the  ground  and  laid  the  dust.  And  the 
road  now  displayed  itself  in  an  ochreous-red  colour, 
while  the  foliage,  washed  and  refreshed  by  the  mois- 
ture, had  regained  a  greener  tint. 

A  few  breezy  gusts  from  time  to  time  shook  the 
branches  of  the  trees  over  the  heads  of  our  tourists, 
sprinkling  them  as  they  passed  with  some  drops  of 
cool  water,  and  in  the  neighbouring  marshes  the 
frogs,  rejoicing  in  the  renewed  humidity,  intoned  a 
triumphal  croaking. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  193 


"  If  we  are  ever  to  discuss  the  Mammalia,  this  is  our 
chance,"  said  Eene  to  his  cousin  at  the  very  spot 
where,  on  going,  they  had  talked  about  the  reptiles. 

"  What  do  you  suppose  I  can  tell  you  about  them 
that  you  do  not  already  know  ?  "  asked  Leon.  "  It 


QUADKUKAXA  1      CAPTTCHIX    MONKEY. 


is  now  recognised  that  there  are,  at  least  twelve 
orders  *  of  Mammalia,  viz. — 

"  1.  The  Bimana,  to  which  we  ourselves  have  the 
honour  to  belong. 

"2.  The  Quadrumana  (monkeys). 

*  The  number  of  orders  of  Mammalia  is  still  a  matter  of  some  uncertainty. 
Cuvier  recognised  only  nine,  while  Glaus,  one  of  the  latest  authorities  adopts 
fourteen,  without  including  man.  —Translator. 


194  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

"3.  The  Chiroptera  (bats).  These  in  our  country 
live  on  insects,  and  help  us  to  get  rid  of  many 
injurious  creatures. 

"  4.  The  Insectivora  (hedgehogs,  shrews,  moles, 
&c.). 

"  5.  The  Carnivora  (types:  the  bear,  dog,  cat,  lion, 
hysena,  seal). 

"6.  The  Eodentia  (beaver,  squirrel,  rabbit,  rats, 
mice). 

"  7.  The  Edentata,  none  of  which  are  found  in 
Europe  (armadillos,  ant-eaters,  pangolins). 

"  8.  The  Pachydermata  (elephant,  hippopotamus, 
rhinoceros,  tapir,  horse,  pig). 

"9.  The  Buminantia  (oxen,  deer,  sheep). 

"10.  The  Cetacea  (whales,  dolphins,  narwhal). 

"  Lastly,  llth,  the  Marsupialia  (kangaroos  and 
opossums) ;  and  12th,  the  Monotremata  (Echidna  and 
Ornithorhynchus),  peculiar  to  Australia. 

"  I  only  give  you  this  list  as  a  reminder,  and  the 
few  mammalia  of  our  own  country  are  so  well  known 
that  it  seems  almost  unnecessary  to  allude  to  them. 
Still,  there  is  always  something  of  interest  to  relate 
about  them,  and  we  can,  if  you  please,  chat  in  a 
familiar  manner  concerning  a  few  of  them. 

il  Take,  for  instance,  the  bats  and  the  hedgehogs, 
which  you  probably  have  an  objection  to.  Well,  both 
of  them  are  insectivorous,  and  in  this  capacity  are 
useful  to  us  and  claim  our  respect,  although  the 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  195 

second  of  them  is  suspected  by  many,  rightly  or 
wrongly,  of  having  a  too  great  fondness  for  apples. 
Squirrels,  on  the  other  hand,  you  probably  think 


CHIEOPTEEA:    LONG-EASED  BATS. 


charming.  And  yet  they  are  injurious  animals,  like 
almost  all  the  rodents.  But  they  may  be  pardoned,  if 
as  some  say,  they  are  made  into  delicious  pies  in  New 


igb 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


York.     Another  rodent,  one  too  that  is  amongst  the 
worst  of  our  enemies,  has  been  utilised  in  another 


CAENIVOEA  :  PANTHER  OR  LKOPAED 


fashion  and  while  alive,  a  certain  manufacturer  in 
England,  an  ingenious  engineer,  having  invented  a 
machine  for  winding,  turned  by  an  apparatus  kept  in 


EODEXTIA  :     SQUIRREL. 


motion  by  mice.    I  have  not  heard,  however,  whether 
this  curious  attempt  has  proved  successful. 


II 


^ 

ill?  1 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


199 


"Speaking  of  apparatus,  no  doubt  you  are  acquainted 
with  the  arrangement  of  the  stomach  of  the  ruminants, 


SKULL   OF    A    KODENT. 


TEETH    OF    AN    IXSECTIVOKOUS    ANIMAL. 


or  animals  that  chew  the  cud.     This  stomach  consists 
of  four  separate  parts:   1,  the  rumen,  or  paunch;  2, 


INHECTIVORA  :    SHHEW-MICE. 


the  reticulum,  or  honeycomb  bag  ;  3,  the  psalterium, 
or  manyplies ;  4,  the  abonasum,  or  rennet-stomach. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


"  The  paunch  and  the  manyplies  each  communicate 
directly  with  the  oesophagus,  which  is  provided  with  a 
deep  groove  running  from  the  first  to  the  third  stomach. 


INSECTIVORA  :     HEDGEHOG. 


When  the  food  is  in  a  solid  condition,  it  is  passed  from 
the  paunch  into  the  honeycomb  bag,  where  it  is  formed 
into  a  ball  and  regurgitated.  After  being  again  chewed 
it  is  swallowed,  but  being  soft  does  not  open  the  tube 


STOMACH    OF    RUMINANT. 

«,  (ESOPHAGUS  ;    pa,  PAUNCH  ;    b.  HONEYCOMB    BAG  ;    /,  MANYPLIES  : 
C,    RENNET  ;  p,   PYLORUS. 

going  to  the  honeycomb  bag,  but  passes  on  into  the 
third  and  fourth  stomachs,  and  so  into  the  intestinal 
canal. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  203 

"  You  already  knew  this,  so  that,  as  I  said,  I 
have  really  not  much  to  teach  you  about  the  mam- 
malia." 

They  now  reached  Yillers,  and  the  horse  and  car- 
riage, pretty  well  bespattered  with  mud,  were  returned 


BEAVERS  AND    THEIE   DWELLINGS. 


to  their  owner,  and  our  friends  at  once  went  back  to 
the  cottage. 

Through  the  open  window  of  the  workroom  they 
perceived  barometer  Xo.  2,  which,  it  will  be  recol- 
lected, had  been  an  object  of  mockery  and  vituperation 
to  Eene  when  they  were  starting. 


204 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OP 


"  I  have  found  a  name  for  jour  Batrachian," 
said  the  latter  to  Le"on — "a  mythological  name, 
suited  to  its  sinister  and  alas !  only  too  true  pre- 
dictions. By  your  permission  we  will  in  future 
call  it  Cassandra." 

"We  will  hope  that  Cassandra  will  not  be  always  a 


prophet  of  ill,  and  that  to-morrow  we  may  be  able  to 
complete  our  interrupted  excursion." 

The  servant   was  just  then  at  the  bottom  of  the 
garden,  occupied  in  picking  some  vegetables  for  the 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS  205 

evening  meal,  and  suddenly  she  gave  utterance  to  a 
piercing  scream. 

The  doctor  and  the  young  men,  in  alarm,  ran  as  fast 
as  they  could. 

11  There,   there,    sir  !  "  and  with  a  trembling  finger 


EDENTATA  :     TATOU,    OK  ARMADILLO. 


she  pointed  out  a  small  dark  object  motionless  in  the 
middle  of  the  path. 


CETACEA  :    GREENLAND,    OR   EIGHT  WHALE. 

It  was  an  enormous  toad,  warty  and  horrible, 
which,  by  the  rain  and  cool  air,  had  been  brought 
into  a  mood  for  wandering  through  the  damp  grass, 
and  so  was  composedly  taking  his  turn  round  the 
garden. 


206 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


Alarmed  by  the  piercing  cry,  it  had  come  to  a  stand- 
still, and  remained  there  calmly,  as  if  contemplating 
the  terrified  domestic. 

"Oh,  sir,  you  do  not  see  it,"  added  Dame  Theresa. 
•:  The  beast,  the  venomous  beast !  "  * 

"No,  no,  you  cockney,  no,"  the  doctor  said  in  a 


MOXOTKEJIATA  :     SPINY    ECHIDNA. 


paternal  manner;   "toads  are  only  slightly  venomous, 
even  when  handled,  and  when  not  actually  touched  are 

*  According  to  the  experiments  of  Professor  Vulpian,  the  poison  of  the 
toad,  secreted  by  certain  cutaneous  glands,  can  only  be  active  when  it  is 
inoculated.  This  inoculation  may  induce  death  in  animals  of  small  size, 
especially  in  rats  and  guinea-pigs.  Death  in  such  cases  seems  due  to 
stoppage  of  the  action  of  the  heart. — Author's  note. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  209 

no  degree  injurious;  and  if  this  one  has  given  you 
a  good  fright,  it  is  clear  you  have  done  the  same 
to  it." 

"  But  it  is  horrible  !  these  creatures  are  frightful. 
Kill  it,  smash  it  at  once,  Mr.  Le*on." 

"Where    should    we    stop,    if    we    were   to    kill 


OENITHOKHY.NCHUS    AXATINTJS.       AUSTRALIA. 

everything  that  is  ugly  and  repulsive  ?  "  said  the 
old  doctor.  And  pushing  it  out  of  the  way  with  the 
end  of  his  stick  into  a  row  of  raspberry  canes  : 
"Go  your  way,  little  creature;  it  is  not  yet  dusk 
enough  for  you  to  be  about.  The  world,"  he  added 
with  a  kindly  smile,  "  is  quite  large  enough  for  all 
three  of  us." 

p 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


From  this  time  forward  Dame  Theresa  always 
avoided  going  into  this  part  of  the  garden  after 
sunset. 


THE   TOAD.       "  SCARCELY   YEXOMOUS   EVEN   WHEX   TOUCHED." 


XVI. 

Continuance  of  bad  weather — Mother  Goose,  loto,  or  dominoes — A  book  of 
wonders — Rotifers — Artificial  death  and  revival — Tardigrades,  Kolpodes, 
Monads,  and  Vorticella — How  to  obtain  a  desired  infusorian — Mineral, 
vegetable,  or  animal  ? — Diatomaceae — To  what  the  colour  of  some  seas  is 
due— Foraminif era —Polypes,  Hydra — Experiments  of  du  Tremblay — 
How  a  single  animal  may  be  made  into  several,  and  several  into  one  — 
A  naturalist  never  wearies. 


WHEN  they  awoke  the  next  morning  the  friends  at 
the  cottage  had  no  need  to  open  the  windows  in  order 
to  convince  themselves  that  their  proposed  visit  to  the 
keeper  was  again  to  be  put  off. 

The  sullen  sky  did  not,  as  yesterday,  send  joyous 
rays  into  their  rooms  ;  rain  was  falling  thickly  and 
steadily  against  the  dripping  panes,  and  these,  lashed 
at  intervals  by  squalls,  gave  forth  dull  sounds  like 
muffled  drums. 

"  It  will  go  on  till  evening,"  said  Father  Lucas, 
who  had  come  to  have  a  conference  with  the  doctor. 

Every  sailor  is  a  meteorologist  whether  he  knows  it 
or  not,  and  his  weather  forecasts  are  but  rarely 
deceptive.  The  friends  were  obliged  therefore  to 
resign  themselves  to  the  idea  of  keeping  the  house  all 
day.  Though  this  had  scarcely  begun,  the  two  young 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


men  were  already,  by  glances,  inquiring  from  one 
another  what  was  to  be  done.  From  time  to  time 
Rene  went  into  the  workroom  to  consult  Cassandra. 

Cassandra  gave  no  indication  of.  rising. 

"Mother  Goose,  loto,  or  dominoes?"  said  Le*on, 
without  preface,  to  his  cousin. 

"  A  truce  to  unpleasant  joking,"  said  the  Parisian. 
"  Certainly  it  is  not  worth  while  being  a  learned  man 
if  you  have  nothing  to  amuse  your  friends  with  on 
wet  days,  except  some  games  borrowed  from  the 
ancient  Greeks,  and  by  the  Greeks  very  probably 
from  the  Boeotians.  I  am  suprised  you  do  not  make 
the  absurd  proposal  of  showing  me  some  toys  or 
picture  books." 

"  Exactly  !  Why  not  ?  "  cried  Leon,  pretending 
that  an  idea  had  all  at  once  occurred  to  him,  though 
the  sly  fellow  had  been  thinking  of  it  for  at  least 
ten  minutes.  "Fortunately  I  have  quite  handy  a 
book  very  curious  to  read,  and  all  the  more  amusing 
inasmuch  as  both  text  and  illustrations  can  be  con- 
stantly varied. 

"Here  it  is  :  the  microscope.  With  a  good  micro- 
scope and  appliances,  and  some  knowledge  of  their 
use,  one  may  ensure  never  being  lonely,  even  were 
one  in  an  out-of-the-way  place  in  the  country,  and  rain 
should  fall  during  forty  days  successively,  as  in  the 
time  of  the  Deluge." 

The  microscope  was  taken  out  of  its  case. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


2I3 


"  Here  is  the  first  chapter,"  said  Le'on,  taking  up 
with  a  pipette  a  drop  of  water,  which  he  placed  under 
the  object-glass  of  the  instrument.  "  I  offer  you  the 
book  ;  read  for  yourself." 

In  the  middle  of  the  liquid  some  apparently  great 


ROTIFER   VTTLGARIS. 
A,  THE    ANIMAL   IN   WATER  ;     B,  THE    SAME    DRIED. 

creatures  were  rolling  about  their  fusiform  bodies : 
they  were  some  rotifers  that  Le'on  had  found  without 
difficulty  in  the  water-gutter  of  the  cottage. 

"  All  very  well  when  there  is  water  in  the  gutter, 
as  there  is  to-day,"  said  Eene,  with  an  air  of  opposi- 
tion ;  "  but  supposing  it  were  dry  weather  ?  " 


214 


THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


"Then  the  rotifers,  too,  dry  up,  and  await  with 
resignation  better  times.  Should  a  little  rain  come 
they  will  revive — they  or  their  posterity.  This  time  I 


ZOLPODA  CTTCTTLLU3. 


have  played  the  part  of  Nature,  by  the  help  of  a  few 
drops  of  water,  and  the  rotifers  have  returned  to 
activity." 

Then    they   viewed   in   succession  :     Tardigrades, 


BELL  VOETICELLA.  ( r.  convalario). 

degraded,  creeping,  repulsive  creatures ;  Kolpoda,  in 
form  like  a  little  leech  ;  and  Monads,  the  most  micro- 
scopic of  microscopic  beings,  and  to  be  found  by 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  215 

myriads  in  filthy  water ;  VorticellaB,  posing  their 
globose  bodies  and  open  mouth,  at  the  end  of  a  long 
twisted  stalk,  something  after  the  fashion  of  a  spiral 
spring. 

For  each  demonstration,  Le'on  had  recourse  to  a 


a » 

GBOUP  OF  MONADS  Enchcli/s  pupa. 

(Monas  crepitsculum). 

new  receptacle  for  his  drop  of  water,  and  this  was 

noticed  by  his  cousin  who  remarked — 

"Do  you,  then,  keep  all  these  kinds  separately?  " 
"  It  is  easier  to  study  them    when  they  are  so. 

Different   sorts   of  infusions   or  decoctions  are  more 


B 

VEGETABLE    INFTTSOBIAN  (  VoloX 
A,   THE    OBGANISM  J     B,  DETACHED    ZOOSPORE8. 

specially   resorted   to   by    certain    animalcules.     For 
instance,  one  finds  more  particularly — 

"  Volvox  and  Yorticellee  in  infusions  of  hemp-seed. 

"  The  species  of  Enchelys  in  infusions  of  hay  or 


216  THE    WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

"  The  Kolpodse  also  in  infusions  of  grass  or  hemp- 
seed  that  have  been  kept  for  a  long  time. 

"  The  species  of  Gonium  in  infusion  of  pears. 

"Kotifers  and  some  Vorticellae  in  little  shells  in 
fresh  water,  and  about  the  remains  of  aquatic  insects. 

"  Monads  in  infusions  of  mushrooms. 


DIATOM,    GREATLY   MAGNIFIED. 

"  Anguillulidse,  paste  or  vinegar  eels,  in  the  sub- 
stances denoted  by  their  names. 

"  But  many  of  the  species  may  be  found  in  abun- 
dance in  pools  of  water.  So  that  sometimes  a  single 
drop  of  stagnant  water  is  inhabited  by  quite  a  minia- 
ture menagerie. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  217 

"  Moreover  one  finds  other  things  besides  animals 
in  pools  of  water.  Here,  for  instance,  is  something 
else." 

There  was  then  displayed  to  the  eyes  of  the  as- 
tonished pupil  a  whole  collection  of  beings  that  can 
scarcely  be  defined,  of  regular  and  geometric  forms : 
discs  piled  one  on  the  other  ;  cubes,  sometimes  united 
end  to  end,  sometimes  soldered  by  one  of  their  angles; 
spindles,  fans,  wheels — what  more  shall  I  say  !  " 

"  Well,  this  is  really  too  extraordinary  !  Animal, 
vegetable,  or  mineral,  I  cannot  for  the  life  of  me  say 
which  I  suppose  them  to  be.  Is  it  possible  that  it  is 
an  assemblage  of  the  three  kingdoms,  bound  together 
in  one  volume  ?  " 

"  These,"  said  Leon,  "  are  diatoms.  They  have 
treated  them  as  algse,  not  being  able  to  do  anything 
better ;  but  the  truth  is  that  in  the  case  of  these 
curious  productions,  the  words  vegetable  and  animal 
have  no  longer  their  peculiar  meaning. 

"These  beings  with  their  silicious  skeletons,  which 
are  apparently  nearly  indestructible,  increase  them- 
selves by  segmentation  and  division.  They  are  met 
with  everywhere — in  the  water,  in  the  air  ;  in  fresh- 
water, and  in  the  ocean.  Sometimes  these  infinitely 
small  atoms,  massed  in  millions  and  billions,  even  alter 
the  colour  of  the  sea :  hence  the  names,  Eed  Sea, 
Yellow  Sea,  Vermilion  Bay.  Be  sure  to  recollect 
that  the  largest  of  these  diatoms  measures  only  some 


2i 8  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


few  hundredths  of  a  millimetre  in  diameter,  there 
being  2,500  one-hundredths  of  a  millimetre  in  a  single 
inch. 

"Many  live  after  the  fashion  of  parasites  ;  almost 
all,   if  not  actually  all,   aquatic   plants   are   covered 


FORAMINIFERA,  GREATLY    MAGNIFIED. 

with  them.  A  simple  washing  with  sulphuric  acid  is 
generally  sufficient  to  detach  them.  And,  just  as  if 
they  were  nevertheless  in  difficulty  to  find  room, 
these  microscopic  beings  actually  take  lodgings  in  the 
stomachs  and  on  the  scales  of  fishes. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  219 

"  In  the  seas,  there  is  another  class  of  creatures 
scarcely  less  numerous  and  ubiquitous,  though  often 
of  somewhat  larger  bulk,  that  form  as  it  were  a  sort 
of  complement  to  the  diatoms :  the  Foraminifera, 
whose  forms  are  varied  almost  to  infinity,  are  found 
in  large  accumulations  on  the  floors  of  the  ocean,  and 
their  skeleton  is  pierced  in  all  directions  by  little 


FBEsHWATEB   HYDEA. 


holes,  from  which  project  great  numbers  of  vibratile 
cilia3.  Thus,  besides  infinitely  small  diatoms,  there 
are  other  infinitely  small  beings,  and  these  also  help 
to  make  up  the  structure  of  worlds." 

To  assist  him  in  his  microscopic  work,  Leon  had 
established  in  a  glass  globe  a  sort  of  small  artificial 
pond  with  some  mud,  several  plants  and  insects,  and 
on  its  surface  some  pieces  of  duckweed.  Tired  of 


THE    WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


looking  through  the  microscope,  Rene  was  engaged 
in  examining  this. 

"  There  are  cuttle-fish  in  your  pond,"  said  he  all 
at  once,  pointing  out  a  mass  of  gelatinous  arms  in 
constant  movement  near  the  surface  of  the  liquid. 

What  he  mistook  for  cuttle-fish  was  merely  a 
colony  of  hydras,  freshwater  polypes — creatures 
which  may  vie  with  any  others  in  tenacity  of  life, 
according  to  the  celebrated  experiments  made  by  du 
Tremblay. 

Du  Tremblay,  when  he  made  these  observations,  was 
a  schoolmaster  in  some  little  town,  I  have  forgotten 
which,  in  Holland,  Jost  in  the  midst  of  marshes.  These 
marshes  were  peopled  by  many  of  the  freshwater 
polyps  called  hydras,  and,  in  the  absence  of  other 
amusements,  this  naturalist  found  a  pleasure  in  study- 
ing them.  He  first  noticed  that  these  animals  can  be 
multiplied  by  division,  and  that  to  obtain  two  hydras, 
it  was  sufficient  to  cut  one  Hydra  into  two  pieces. 
Having  settled  this  point,  he  examined  their  organ- 
isation. It  is  certainly  not  very  complicated.  The 
body  of  a  Hydra  consists  simply  of  a  bag,  the  inside 
of  which  forms  the  stomach.  By  exercising  skill 
and  patience  du  Tremblay  managed  to  turn  one  of 
these  polyps  inside  out,  somewhat  like  a  glove,  so 
that  what  was  stomach  became  outside  and  vice  versa. 
The  experiment  was  a  success:  the  polyp  seemed 
quite  comfortable  notwithstanding  this  remarkable 
change  in  his  personality. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


Du  Tremblay  did  not  with  this  end  his  interesting 
discoveries.  "  Since  out  of  one  Hydra  you  can  make 
two,"  he  sagely  reasoned,  "out  of  two  probably  one 
can  be  made."  This  was  both  said  and  done,  and  the 
patient  naturalist,  after  some  unsuccessful  efforts, 
succeeded  in  fastening  together  several  hydras,  end 
to  end,  in  such  a  way  as  to  merge  their  several  indi- 
vidualities in  one. 

And  thus  we  see  that  in  the  most  unfavourable 
localities  the  naturalist  need  never  weary. 


XYII. 

With  Franceschini — Another  barometer — "Good-day,  Major!" — A  mysteri- 
ous voice— Uncle  Bob  begins  to  fancy  the  keeper's  house  must  be  haunted 
— Jacob — A  fable  of  La  Fontaine  realised — The  Norman  character 
makes  itself  evident  even  in  birds  -  Rene's  classification — Honest  men  and 
brigands  — Day  thieves  and  nocturnal  prowlers — The  waders  and  web- 
feet— Climbers— Gallinaceous  birds — Passerine  birds— Jacob  sadly  out 
of  place — Franceschini  insists  on  a  new  classification. 

AT  last  the  clouds  were  scattered,  and  the  barometer, 
the  Cassandra-barometer  as  well,  indicated  "  set  fair." 
Again  they  put  to,  started,  and  arrived  at  Touques, 
this  time  without  any  noteworthy  incident. 

The  keeper,  with  a  very  short  clay  pipe  between 
his  teeth,  was  quietly  taking  his  ease  on  a  bench 
outside  the  door,  when  the  rumbling  of  the  vehicle 
roused  him  from  his  quiescence. 

He  rose,  laid  down  the  pipe  on  his  seat,  advanced 
in  military  style,  and  in  a  superb  bass  voice  saluted 
with  the  words — 

"  Good  day,  Major  ! " 

Uncle  Bob  certainly  had  never  been  major ;  but  no 
doubt,  in  the  opinion  of  the  ex-gendarme,  the  rosette 
of  the  legion  of  honour  in  his  buttonhole  was  a 
sufficient  justification  for  the  nattering  title,  which 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  223 

conferred  on  him  the  dignity,  certainly  well  merited, 
of  a  position  in  the  permanent  army  of  duty's 
volunteers. 

"Tush!"  he  said,  but  nevertheless  with  an  evi- 
dent air  of  satisfaction ;  "no  usurpation  of  rank,  if 
you  please.  I  have  at  least  never  been  more  than  a 
simple  soldier  in  the  ranks  of  duty,  and  it  ought  to 
be  I  that  should  present  arms  to  you,  Mr.  Sergeant. 
As,  however,  I  do  not  carry  any,  I  can  only  offer  you 
my  apologies  for  not  having  come  before  this.  We 
started  the  day  before  yesterday,  but  we  beat  a 
cowardly  retreat,  being  conquered  by  the  rain." 

"  I  am  to  blame,"  cried  Franceschini.  "  Triple 
blockhead  that  I  am !  I  might  have  foreseen  that 
change  of  weather.  When  I  wrote  my  letter  to  you 
everything  indicated  that  we  should  have  a  storm : 
everything,  even  my  scar,  which  became  violet,  like  a 
bishop's  cassock.  I  ought  to  have  observed  this,  but 
somehow  or  other  when  one  has  as  villainous  a  phiz 
as  mine,  one  does  not  waste  much  time  at  the  looking- 
glass." 

They  entered  the  house,  and  found  there  was 
already  set  out  for  them  a  snack  prepared  on  the 
spur  of  the  moment  by  Madame  Franceschini,  the 
wife  of  the  keeper — he  having,  as  we  ought  previously 
to  have  explained,  taken  a  wife  very  soon  after 
coming  to  the  district,  in  order  that  he  might  take 
better  root. 


224  THE    WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

There  is  one  thing  that  country  people  have  never 
been  able  to  understand,  and  that  probably  they  never 
will  understand.  It  is  that  others  cannot  have  such 
good  appetites  as  themselves.  On  this  occasion  the 
fruits  were  superb,  the  bread  excellent,  the  butter 
and  the  cider  such  as  are  only  to  be  found  in  Normandy. 
The  three  guests  did  honour  in  their  best  style  to 
this  impromptu  collation,  discussing  at  the  same  time 
the  object  of  their  visit. 

"  All  the  birds  are  ticketed  with  the  names  given 
to  them  in  the  district,"  said  the  keeper,  as  he  was 
uncorking  in  a  most  careful  manner  a  bottle  of  the 
wine  of  the  district.  "  But  it  still  remains  to  classify 
them  according  to  their  regiments,  in  proper  battle 
array.  That  you  will  be  able  to  do,  and  I  have  the 
most  complete  confidence  in  your  ability." 

"  Must  see,"  replied,  from  behind  the  door  of  the 
next  room,  a  sharp  voice  seeming  to  come  almost 
from  beneath  the  ground. 

The  two  young  men  looked  quite  astonished.  Some- 
one, then,  was  listening  to  their  conversation  !  Fran- 
ceschini  bit  and  twisted  his  moustache. 

The  doctor  also  heard  it,  but  thinking  it  was  the 
trick  of  some  ill-bred  child,  paid  no  attention.  Leon 
thought  it  well  to  do  the  same  as  his  father. 

"  Yery  well,  we  will  classify  the  collection,"  said 
he,  "  and  if  I  cannot  do  it  all  myself,  I  am  sure  my 
cousin  will  not  refuse  to  lend  me  a  hand." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  225 

"  Certainly,  cerrr-tainly,"  replied  the  voice. 

"  Yes  certainly,"  said  Bene,  in  a  way  to  be  heard 
by  the  mysterious  interlocutor.  "  I  must  admit  I 
am  no  ornithologist ;  I  know  that  well,  but  I  can 
at  any  rate  give  a  piece  of  good  advice  when 
necessary.  It  is  not  well  to  mock  me." 

"  Per-haps,  well,  must  see !  "  replied  the  voice, 
drawling  in  an  unmerciful  manner. 

This  time  Uncle  Bob  no  longer  kept  silence. 

"  One  of  two  things :  either  I  am  getting  silly  or 
some  ill-mannered  person  is  mocking  us  ;  unless,  in- 
deed, we  may  be  in  some  haunted  house,"  he  added, 
in  the  tone  of  a  man  who  is  very  sceptical  about  such 
kinds  of  witchcraft. 

"Neither  one  nor  the  other,  Major,"  said  the 
keeper  by  way  of  excuse.  "  I  had  put  Jacob  out  of 
the  way,  and  now  he  is  taking  his  revenge.  The 
best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  introduce  the  culprit  to 
you." 

He  opened  the  door. 

"Now  then,  come  along,  Jacob ;  come  in,  come 
in,"  and  through  the  half-open  door  there  hopped 
in  a  magnificent  raven,  of  a  deep  blue-black  colour. 

A  triple  burst  of  laughter  greeted  his  entrance. 

"But  it  is  really  a  learned  bird,  a  phenomenal 
creature,  and  worth  more  than  all  the  menagerie  at 
Touques  !  Come  here,  Jacob,  come  here,  then  !  " 

And  each  "  come  here "  was  accompanied  by  a 
Q 


226  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

shower  of  crumbs  and  scraps.  Jacob,  who  never  in 
his  bird's  memory  recollected  such  a  feast,  came  and 
picked  them  up  without  fear,  even  at  the  feet  of  the 
visitors.  Then,  when  his  appetite  was  satisfied,  he 
hopped  familiarly  on  to  the  shoulder  of  his  master. 

"He  is  a  foundling,"  said  this  latter.  "  It  was 
during  some  most  fearful  weather  that  I  discovered 
Jacob  in  the  forest.  A  gale  had  dislodged  him  from 
the  nest ;  he  was  half-frozen,  and  three-parts  drowned 
by  the  rain — quite  moribund,  in  fact.  Instinctively  I 
picked  him  up,  without  intending  to  keep  him,  possi- 
bly thinking  he  might  have  a  more  gentle  death. 
When  I  reached  home  I  placed  him  near  the  fire  in  a 
blanket. 

"'You  would  have  done  better  to  have  left  him 
where  he  was,'  my  wife  said  to  me,  'for  he  was  past 
suffering.' 

"  And  indeed  I  thought  I  was  only  prolonging  his 
agony.  The  next  morning,  to  my  great  surprise,  he 
still  lived.  '  Suppose  he  should  recover  ! '  said  I, 
still  without  believing  it. 

"He  did,  however,  recover;  and  in  spite  of  our 
predictions  I  believe  the  rascal  is  now  likely  to  out- 
live us  all." 

"And  how  did  you  teach  him?"  asked  Rene. 
"Until  now  I  have  not  seen  any  talking  ravens 
except  in  the  fables  of  La  Fontaine." 

'  His  learning  was  done  almost  entirely  by  him- 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  229 

self.  He  hears  the  country  people  talk,  and  amuses 
himself  by  imitating  them.  It  is  because  of  this  that 
hesitating  expressions  such  as,  '  Well !'  'Perhaps  so  ! ' 
and  '  Must  see ! '  are  his  favourite  phrases.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  never  recollect  hearing  him  say  '  Yes ' 
or  'No,'  these  words  being  very  little  used  in  Nor- 
mandy." 

They  rose  from  table  and  entered  the  room  in 
which  the  keeper  had  arranged  his  museum,  as  he 
called  it. 

The  furnishings  were  of  military  simplicity :  a  desk 
made  of  deal,  covered  with  papers  and  books,  three 
chairs,  and  the  arms  and  accoutrements  of  the  soldier's 
military  period,  arranged  as  a  sort  of  trophy  between 
the  white  muslin  curtains  of  the  two  windows.  The 
rest  of  the  apartment  was  devoted  to  the  birds. 
These  were  to  be  seen  in  all  directions — on  the  desk, 
on  shelves,  under  glass  shades.  The  beams  of  the 
ceiling  served  as  supports  for  some  scutcheons  of 
varnished  wood,  bearing  branches  of  trees,  on  which 
were  placed  the  larger  birds,  with  spread-out  wings, 
as  if  about  to  take  flight. 

"We  must  proceed  in  due  order,"  said  Leon;  and 
turning  to  Kene",  "You  were  just  saying  that  we 
ought  not  to  despise  you.  Let  us  see,  then ;  how 
would  you  commence  ?  " 

"  I  should  begin  by  leaving  all  the  respectable 
kinds  together,  and  by  putting  in  one  corner  all  these 


230 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


hooked  beaks  and  rapacious  figures."  And  Rene 
with  his  finger  pointed  out  a  large  owl  and  a  kestrel 
falcon,  which  in  truth  had  very  much  the  appearance 
of  two  brigands. 

The  rapacious  forms  were  placed  together  on  one  side. 

"We  will  call  them  Raptatores,"  said  Le*on,  "the 


•THESE  HOOKED  BEAKS  AND  RAPACIOUS  FIGURES." 


name  used  in  our  system  of  classification.  Now  that 
we  have  them  all  together,  do  you  not  think  they 
may  be  made  into  two  groups  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly.  There  are  evidently  two  distinct 
classes  —  first  the  brigands  that  carry  on  their  opera- 
tions in  daylight,  and  next  the  owls  and  other  prowlers 
who  do  their  work  at  night." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  231 

"  In  other  words,  then,  diurnal  and  nocturnal 
Eaptatores." 

"  Very  good.  But  now  let  us  turn  our  attention  to 
the  honest  kinds." 

The  classification  was  now  a  more  difficult  matter, 
for  the  honest  kinds  are  so  numerous,  amongst  birds 
at  any  rate.  However,  Kene*  was  not  discouraged. 

"First  we  will  use  two  or  three  shelves  for  those 
with  very  long  beaks,  most  of  them,  too,  having  also 


WOODCOCK  (Scolopax  rusticola,  Lin.). 

long  necks.  At  any  rate,  that  will  be  some  out  of 
the  way." 

And  speedily,  the  bustards,  plovers,  peewits,  snipe, 
curlews,  sandpipers,  cranes,  herons,  storks,  rails, 
water-hens — all  the  waders  in  fact — were  brought 
together,  forming  one  group  of  allied  kinds. 

"  Let  us  now  make  a  finish  of  the  water  birds," 
said  Lie* on.  "  Side  by  side  with  their  long-legged 
friends,  let  us  place  the  web-footed  kinds." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


And  so  the  web-feet  were  next  arranged.  As 
they  were  very  numerous,  and  as,  if  the  feet  were 
left  out  of  consideration,  they  were  not  very  similar 
to  one  another,  it  was  necessary  to  make  several 
subdivisions  of  them,  the  most  important  being, 
the  grebes,  the  sea-gulls,  the  cormorants,  and  the 
ducks. 

"  Now  for  the  fourth  order,"  said  Le*on.  But 
seeing  that  his  cousin  was  now  in  difficulties  he 
concluded  the  classification  himself. 

"  First  the  climbers,  the  born  protectors  of  our 
forests,  frequenting  the  trunks  of  the  trees  in  search 
of  insects  :  woodpeckers,  wrynecks,  cuckoos,  and 
creepers. 

"  Then  the  Gallinse  or  game  birds,  the  edible  order 
par  excellence,  created,  one  might  suppose,  for  the 
particular  satisfaction  of  the  lovers  of  the  table: 
partridges,  quail,  pigeons,  grouse,  pheasants,  &c.,  to 
say  nothing  of  our  domestic  fowls. 

"  We  have  progressed  by  a  process  of  elimination," 
continued  the  young  naturalist  ;  "  and  now  nothing 
remains  for  our  consideration  but  the  perchers  or 
Passeres" 

"  Now  then,"  cried  Ke*ne,  "  about  Jacob,  the  mag- 
niloquent and  voluminous  Jacob.  Would  you  place 
him  in  the  same  order  as  the  wrens,  the  finches,  or 
the  tits  ?  If  I  were  him  and  had  so  clever  a  tongue 
I  should  protest  against  this." 


fl  ft- 


— - -™ 


--  -^ 


m 


EEEVE'S  PHEASANT.  CUEASSOW.         SILVEB  PHEASANT.     PEACOCK.      GOLDEN  PHEASANT. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


"Certainly,  cerrr-tainly ! "  hissed  the  bird,  who  ap- 
peared to  know  that  they  were  talking  about  him,  and 
to  wish  to  assume  a  part  in  this  protest. 

"  Where  would  you  enrol  him  ?  The  order  of 
perchers  is  a  negative  one,  without  any  real  distinctive 


BD  :  AVOCET  (Rccurvirostra  acocetta,  Lin.). 

character  of  its  own,  a  sort  of  naturalist's  chaos, 
where  everything  that  is  not  web -foot,  wader,  rapa- 
cious, climber,  nor  game-bird,  is  thrown  into  the 
general  mass.  Some  subdivisions  of  it  have  been 
formed,  which  are  chiefly  based  on  the  form  of  the 


236  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

beak  and  the  arrangement  of  the  toes.  This  is  all  that 
has  been  accomplished.  * 

"And  now,"  he  added,  addressing  himself  to  the 
keeper,  "  I  must  compliment  you  on  your  collection,  of 
which  you  have  indeed  every  right  to  be  proud,  for 
there  are  many  amateurs  who  would  plume  themselves 
on  it.  I  hope  the  classification  of  it,  now  that  it  is 
finished,  will  meet  with  approval." 

Franceschini  rubbed  his  ear  with  the  air  of  a  man 
who  does  not  think  "Yes,"  but  does  not  like  to  say 
"No." 

"Perhaps  yeu  had  thought  of  some  other  way  of 
arranging  it,"  said  the  doctor,  who  apparently  divined 
his  thoughts. 

"  Well,  yes  !  I  should  like  to  have  it  settled  what 
are  the  injurious  species  we  ought  to  destroy,  and 
which  are  useful,  so  that  we  should  protect  them.  If 
this  were  only  indicated  by  some  mark  or  word  on  the 
label  by  the  side  of  the  name  of  the  species,  it  would 
be  sufficient.  Perhaps,  Major,  you  would  kindly 
undertake  this  ?  " 

The  "Major"  smiled  at  this  new  proof  of  con- 
fidence. 

"  Yes,  but,  yes,  but — but  that  is  extremely  difficult. 
The  question  is  a  very  complicated  one  ;  and  appa- 


*  Since  the  time  of  Cuvier,  several  fresh  classifications  of  birds  have  been 
made ;  but  naturalists  are  not  at  all  agreed  on  the  subject,  and  the  Passeres 
are  always  a  great  difficulty.  —  Translator. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  237 

rently  all  the  more  intricate  because  torrents  of  ink 
have  been  poured  out  with  a  view  of  settling  it. 
However,  as  you  seem  to  desire  it,  and  as  I  am  now  in 
the  saddle,  I  will  give  you  my  own  opinion." 

Here  follows,  very  carefully  reported,  the  opinion 
of  Uncle  Bob  on  this  subject. 


xvm. 

Three  great  categories  of  birds — Injurious  birds — Birds  of  mixed  qualities — 
Useful  birds — Certain  birds  not  to  be  proscribed  at  first  glance — Some 
conclusive  facts — Frederick  the  Great  and  his  cherries — Curious  obser- 
vation made  in  Paris— Those  that  eat  insects — Some  figures — An  unjust 
and  odious  persecution — -The  worst  enemy  of  rats,  field-mice,  and  other 
rodents— Birds  as  protectors  of  sailors — An  English  law— Cormorant- 
fishing  in  China — A  possible  cure  for  the  Phylloxera — A  proposal  from 
Franceschini. 


"  THREE  classes  may  be  distinguished  amongst  birds : 
injurious  birds,  birds  of  mixed  qualities  who  do  both 
good  and  harm,  and  useful  birds. 

"  Some  birds  are  injurious  by  destroying  game  and 
useful  animals.  As  instances,  the  eagles  and  falcons, 
and  also  the  jays  and  magpies,  who  are  constantly  on 
the  look-out  for  the  eggs  and  young  of  other  birds. 
Others,  like  the  kingfisher,  affect  the  fish  and  fry  of 
our  rivers.  To  the  injurious  class  also  belong  certain 
birds  that  eat  the  fruit  or  other  parts  of  plants — 
the  grosbeaks,  the  bullfinches,  the  thrushes,  and  even, 
though  we  say  it  with  regret,  the  pigeons.  These  do 
harm  by  their  depredations  on  our  fruit-trees  and  in 
our  gardens. 

"  Thus  it  is  fair  that  these  destroyers  should  be 
themselves  destroyed,  though  it  will  be  well  under- 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


239 


stood  that  some  at  any  rate  should  not  be  exter- 
minated :  pigeons,  for  instance,  that  are  domesticated 
and  used  as  food. 

"  As  for  the  birds  of  mixed  qualities,  it  is  difficult  to 
give  any  decided  opinion  as  to  how  they  should  be 


A.  DESTROYER   DESTROYED. 


treated.  For  instance,  the  buzzards  and  the  shrikes 
destroy  an  enormous  quantity  of  small  rodents ;  but 
they  also  wage  war  against  the  birds  that  destroy 
insects. 

"  The  blackbirds,  warblers,  sparrows,  and  redbreasts 


24o  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

are  also  great  insect-hunters,  though  their  well-known 
weakness  for  cherries  and  other  sweet  fruits  makes 
us  sometimes  look  upon  them  as  very  troublesome 
friends. 

''  The  same  may  be  said  of  crows,  partridges,  gold- 
finches and  other  finches,  though  there  is  a  difference, 
as  these  birds  attack  grains  or  seeds  rather  than  fruits. 

"  To  sum  up,  we  must  conclude  that  in  the  case  of 
these  birds  of  mixed  qualities  it  is  as  dangerous  to 
acquit  them  entirely  as  it  is  to  condemn  them  without 
appeal.  And  it  is  all  the  more  difficult  to  decide,  as 
many  of  these  gramnivorous  birds  not  only  eat  insects 
themselves  but  also  feed  their  young  ones  with  them. 

"  Here  are  some  conclusive  proofs. 

"  In  Prussia,  Frederick  the  Great  observing  one 
day  that  the  sparrows  were  far  too  familiar  with  his 
cherry-trees  at  Potsdam,  resolved  to  exact  a  full 
penalty  for  their  wrongdoing — high  treason  I  pre- 
sume we  ought  to  call  it.  A  price  was  set  on  the 
heads  of  the  pilferers.  Two  years  afterwards  not  a 
sparrow  remained  in  the  country,  but  on  the  other 
hand  there  also  remained  no  cherries  in  the  royal 
gardens,  the  whole  region  being  devastated  by  cater- 
pillars and  other  insects.  Complaints  arriving  from 
all  quarters,  the  king  himself  recognised  his  mistake, 
and  the  sparrows  were  reinstated  at  a  very  great 
expense.  A  little  more,  indeed,  and  apologies  would 
have  been  offered  to  them. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  241 

"  In  Hungary,  and  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden, 
the  destruction  of  birds  produced  similar  results.* 

"  Even  in  Normandy,  at  Montville,  in  the  depart- 
ment of  the  Seine  Infe'rieure  the  idea  of  destroying 
the  crows  was  adopted,  and  it  was  found  by  experi- 
ence that  their  ravages  were  not  to  be  compared 
with  the  evils  they  prevented,  and  the  crow  was 
rehabilitated,  t 

"  A  last  instance.  In  the  middle  of  Paris,  in  the  Rue 
Vivienne,  there  was  one  day  discovered  round  a  nest 
of  sparrows  one  thousand  four  hundred  wings  of  cock- 
chafers. So  that  at  the  very  least  seven  hundred 
chafers,  each  one  an  enemy,  were  destroyed  for  a 
single  brood. 

"  To  the  aid  of  these  kinds,  whose  services  we,  on 
the  whole,  pay  for  pretty  cheaply,  come  some  powerful 
assistants  whom  we  are  not  required  to  pay  at  all,  and 
whom  therefore  we  ought  at  all  times  and  in  all  places 
to  protect.  In  the  realm  of  nature  there  exists  only 
one  serious  enemy  of  the  insect,  only  one  capable  of 
efficiently  opposing  its  ravages.  This  is  the  bird — an 
implacable  enemy,  pursuing  the  insect  at  all  times  and 
in  all  its  stages.  Each  insectivorous  bird  has,  too,  its 
speciality.  The  woodpeckers  and  the  climbers,  guided 
by  some  mysterious  instinct  or  unknown  signs,  seek 

*  Baron  Dumast,  quoted  in  "  Bulletin  de  la  Societe  d'Acclimatation  de 
Nancy,"  1857,  pp.  10,  11. 

t  Address  read  to  the  Senate,  24th  June,  1861,  by  President  Bon  jean,  on 
the  preservation  of  birds. 


242  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

insects  under  the  bark  and  in  the  wood  of  trees,  where 
they  are  carrying  on  their  ravages  unseen.  The  cuckoo 
attacks  hairy  caterpillars  that  other  birds  refuse  to 
swallow  ;  the  European  rollers,  grasshoppers  and 


COAST    BIED&. 


locusts ;  the  hedge-sparrows,  snails  and  larvee,  as- 
sisted in  this  task  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers  by  the 
godwits,  sandpipers,  snipe,  and  indeed  by  the  waders 
generally. 

"Pursuing  another  system  of  tactics,  the  swallow, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


243 


the  martin,  and  the  goatsucker  hunt  on  the  wing.  In 
the  stomachs  of  eighteen  martins  killed  at  different 
times,  the  naturalist  Florent  Prevost,  who  set  himself 
to  make  a  systematic  study  of  the  food  of  birds,  found 
the  remains  of  six  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety 
one  insects,  being  about  an  average  of  four  hundred 


insects  for  each  bird,  and  that  for  a  single  meal.    Such 
figures  require  no  comment. 

"It  is  difficult  to  form  an  idea  of  the  enormous 
amount  of  larvae  of  insects  destroyed  by  small  birds 
such  as  tits,  wrens,  warblers,  wagtails,  fly-catchers, 
pipits.  It.  has  been  calculated  that  the  wren,  the  tiny 


244  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

wren,  in  the  course  of  a  year  causes  three  millions  of 
eggs  of  butterflies  and  other  insects  to  disappear ;  the 
blue  tit  about  six  millions  and  a  half.  As  each  pair 
of  tits  produces  about  six  young  ones,  we  may  consider 
that  each  family  of  this  little  bird  destroys  at  least 
twenty -four  millions  of  insects.  "  * 

"  Poor  little  birds,  so  frequently  and  ruthlessly  mas- 
sacred, when  they  are  actually  occupied  in  working 
for  us ! " 

"  The  screech-owl,  and  other  owls — in  fact,  all  the 
nocturnal  raptatores — should  be  protected,  for  a  single 
one  exterminates  more  little  rodents  than  a  whole 
regiment  of  cats  would. 

"  The  cat,  supposed  to  be  a  great  '  ridder,'  is  a  con- 
summate sycophant,  and  knows  that  he  can  always 
depend  on  the  larder  in  case  of  necessity.  He  hunts, 
in  fact,  in  amateur  fashion.  Hunting  is  in  reality  for 
him  a  pastime  and  amusement,  a  healthful  sport,  that 
gives  him  a  good  appetite  after  the  long  hours  passed 
lazily  in  the  sun  or  on  the  hearthrug.  But  as  for  the 
owl,  it  hunts  to  live,  and  to  procure  food  for  a  whole 
brood  of  hungry  beaks,  who  cry  famine  if  they  have 
to  pass  only  a  short  time  without  being  gorged  with 
nutriment.  A  large  quantity  of  bodies  of  rats  and 
voles  are  required  for  the  support  of  such  a  family. 

"  The  sea-birds,  guillemots  and  others,  that  nest  in 

*  See  on  this  subject  an  excellent  work,  "Useful  and  Injurious  Birds," 
by  H.  de  la  Blanchere. 


PALMIPEDES. 


COMMON   COEMOEAXT. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


247 


the  cliffs,  and  in  hazy  weather  by  their  cries  and  screams 
warn  the  sailors  of  their  proximity  to  the  coast,  must 
on  this  account  be  also  considered  as  among  our  allies. 


LOXG-EABBD  OWL  (Asia  otits,  Lin.). 


In  England  severe  penalties  are  inflicted  on  destroyers 
of  guillemots  ;  and  heaven  only  knows  how  many  ship- 
wrecks have  been  prevented  by  the  agency  of  these 


248  TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

birds.  In  France,  the  race  of  guillemots  has  been 
nearly  destroyed,  the  birds  having  been  shot  without 
any  mercy  by  sportsmen  desirous  of  proving  their  own 
skill  and  the  excellence  of  their  weapons  by  bringing 
down  their  game,  which  though  inedible,  offers  a 
difficult  mark  to  the  gun." 

"Brave  bravery,  in  truth  !  " 

"  The  Chinese  (we  always  return  to  the  Chinese) 
hunt  the  cormorant,  but  with  a  more  practical  object  in 
view.  They  train  them  for  fishing,  in  a  manner  simi- 
lar to  that  in  which  falcons  were  trained  in  the  middle 
ages  for  hunting  birds. 

"  It  appears  that  these  palmipedes,  after  their  train- 
ing has  been  completed,  bring  a  great  profit  to  their 
owners,  and  are  sold  for  a  high  price  in  the  markets  of 
the  Celestial  Empire. 

"  I  am  surprised  that  no  ingenious  sportsman  should 
have  yet  entertained  the  idea  of  introducing  this 
method  of  fishing  among  ourselves ;  its  success  would 
be  certain.  And,  as  we  are  now  touching  on  subjects 
that  closely  concern  agricultural  economy  (for  there  is 
no  greater  economy  in  agriculture  than  to  protect  our 
friends  and  destroy  our  foes),  perhaps  you  would 
like  to  know  my  true  opinion  on  a  pest,  a  veritable 
Egyptian  plague,  that  costs  many  millions  to  France 
every  year — the  phylloxera.  With  a  view  to  arresting 
its  ravages,  considerable  sums  are  expended  on 
chemicals  and  complicated  apparatus,  only  an  inade- 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  251 

quate  result  being,  however,  usually  derived  from 
their  use.  In  some  cases,  indeed,  the  best  that  can  be 
said  is  that  these  heroic  remedies  only  destroy  the 
disease  by  killing  the  patient.  According  to  my  ideas, 
there  is  but  one  preservative  whose  action  is  likely  to 
be  really  efficacious,  and  of  which  no  one  apparently 
dreams :  it  is  the  bird. 

"  There  should  exist,  probably  there  actually  exists, 
in  the  countries  from  which  the  phylloxera  came  to 
us,  some  bird  the  born  enemy,  the  patent  destroyer, 
of  this  insect ;  a  bird  that  searches  for  it  without 
truce  round  the  roots  where  it  lurks  among  the 
leaves  it  attacks,  and  hinders  it  from  multiplying  itself 
indefinitely.  Let  this  foe  of  the  phylloxera  be  sought 
for,  and  an  attempt  made  to  acclimatise  it  in  France. 
On  the  day  when  it  shall  have  been  discovered  and 
set  to  work  at  its  duty,  more  will  have  been  done 
towards  the  destruction  of  this  dreadful  insect  than 
all  the  chemicals  in  the  world  could  do  in  fifty  years." 

After  the  collection  was  fully  arranged  Franceschini 
contemplated  it  with  pride.  He  could  now,  without 
blushing,  do  the  honours  of  it,  when  occasion  should 
arise,  even  to  "  the  scientific  men  of  Paris.  " 

The  good  man  never  pronounced  these  five  words 
without  an  accent  of  profound  respect.  To  him  it 
was  a  supreme  ideal.  Fancy  it !  "  Men  of  science 
of  Paris ! " 

The  great  heat  of  the  day  was  now  gone  by.     Close 


z 52  TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

at  hand  were  the  outskirts  of  the  forest  of  Touques, 
with  its  lofty  trees,  which  apparently  extended  their 
waves  of  foliage  without  interruption  as  far  as  the 
horizon.  The  keeper  proposed  a  stroll  in  the  wood. 

"  Are  you  still  making  a  collection  of  insects  ?  "  he 
added,  turning  to  Leon. 

And  as  the  latter  signified  an  affirmative — 
"  Ah,  well,  I  know  a  spot.     I  have  in  fact  made 
certain  arrangements.     But  come  along,  I  think  you 
will  not  be  disappointed." 


XIX. 

In  the  wood — Interment  of  a  field-mouse — The  population  of  an  oak-tree- 
Gall-fly — The  origin  of  gall-nuts — Parasites  of  parasites — The  surprise 
prepared  by  the  keeper — A  park  for  insects— New  treasures  for  the  col- 
lection of  Leon — Arrest  of  an  assassin — Ocypus  olens — A  little-known  way 
of  butterfly-hunting— "Wedded  couples  should  be  well-matched — Saint 
Francis  of  Sales  might  have  become  an  excellent  entomologist — The 
grebe — A  difficult  problem  solved  by  a  bird — The  return — A  conjugal 
drama. 


OUR  friends  asked  themselves  with  some  curiosity 
what  could  be  the  keeper's  meaning,  and  how  he 
intended  to  secure  for  them  the  rich  harvest  of  insects 
he  alluded  to  in  such  enigmatical  fashion.  But 
Franceschim,  in  spite  of  their  inquiring  glances, 
thought  proper  in  a  roguish  manner  to  keep  the  secret 
of  his  surprise. 

They  provided  themselves  with  the  implements  neces- 
sary for  the  purpose  of  catching  and  preserving  insects, 
some  of  which  Leon  always  carried  with  him  during 
his  excursions  :  boxes,  butterfly-nets,  and  of  course 
the  umbrella  that  is  held  inverted  under  the  trees  to 
catch  the  insects  that  are  made  to  fall  by  beating  or 
tapping  the  foliage  with  a  stick.  Then  the  little 
party  proceeded  along  a  path  in  the  wood,  headed  by 
Franceschim,  proud  of  doing  the  honours  of  his 


254  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

domain,  as  he  pompously  called  it,  to  his  friends. 
With  legs  covered  by  long  gaiters  of  yellow  leather, 
he  led  the  way  and  directed  the  little  expedition. 

They  advanced  slowly,  the  path  being  bordered 
at  the  sides  by  the  deep  ruts  left  by  the  waggons 
of  the  woodmen,  filled  in  places  by  muddy  water 
which  had  stagnated  there  since  the  last  rains,  while 
between  the  ruts  the  horses  had  deeply  imprinted 
their  footmarks  in  the  soft  earth. 

The  light  was  becoming  more  slanting,  and  across 
the  leaves  of  the  hazels  scattered  golden  spots  on  the 
foliage,  and  striped  rays  of  glittering  beauty  on  the 
sombre  turf  that  bordered  the  path. 

At  the  first  turning  in  the  road  a  bird  flew  away 
•with  heavy  flight  only  two  paces  from  the  tourists, 
and  at  the  same  moment  Kene*  cried  out : 

"Gentlemen,  I  announce  the  decease  of  a  field- 
mouse." 

I  do  not  know  whether  the  reader  may  share  my 
impression,  but  in  the  country  I  never  see  without 
a  certain  feeling  of  melancholy  the  body  of  a  tiny 
rodent.  In  vain  I  reason  with  myself,  recalling  that 
during  its  little  life  it  was  an  injurious  beast,-  and  that 
the  carcase  of  a  foe  smells  always  sweet,  if  we  may 
believe  a  Eoman  emperor  of  gloomy  reputation  (and 
in  the  matters  of  foes  and  carcases  this  emperor 
might  well  have  been  an  authority).  But  fruitlessly  ! 
The  shrivelled  legs,  with  their  extremities  pale  and 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  255 

naked,  like  the  hands  of  infants,  and  appearing  to 
stretch  themselves  out  in  a  supplicating  manner ;  the 
delicate  moustache  of  bristles  ;  the  lips  drawn  out  as 
if  by  a  last  agony ;  in  short,  this  despised  creature,  a 
body  of  the  size  of  the  finger,  now  the  sport  of  the 
infinite,  death !  all  this  gives  me  a  feeling  of  sad- 
ness, and  I  find  myself  murmuring  some  words  of 
pity,  if  not  of  regret,  for  the  defunct  little  animal. 

Our  promenaders  possibly  experienced  something 
of  this  feeling  but  did  not  dwell  on  it ;  and  Le*on,  who 
in  fact  did  not  like  to  lose  anything  that  could  be 
of  assistance  to  him  in  his  favourite  studies,  at  once 
proposed  to  carry  off  the  little  corpse. 

"Take  it  away?  You  must  surely  be  joking," 
replied  his  cousin.  "It  is  already  in  full  process  of 
decomposition.  A  very  little  longer,  and  it  will  walk 
without  any  assistance." 

As  if  to  prove  the  truth  of  what  Kene"  had  just  said, 
the  little  carcase,  to  his  great  astonishment,  commenced 
to  shift  its  position. 

"Attention ! "  called  the  doctor,  "  the  funeral 
ceremonies  have  already  commenced." 

Five  large  beetles,  of  a  black  colour,  as  is  befitting 
to  every  respectable  undertaker,  with  some  yellow 
bands  like  belts  of  leather  on  their  elytra,  had  thrust 
themselves  beneath  the  body  of  the  rodent,  and  had 
commenced  their  sinister  duty.  They  had  already,  in 
fact,  disappeared  from  sight,  and  it  was  only  by  a 


256 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 


somewhat  penetrating  odour,  like  that  of  musk,  that 


NECROPHORI  :    3,  N.  germanicus ;  4,  N.  fossator ;  4',  T.A-RVA  ;  4",  PUPA. 
SILPHA  :  1,  S.  thoracica  ;  2,  quadr \punctata. 

their  presence  was  revealed.     A  few  paces  from  the 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  257 

spot,  the  earth,  being  there  lighter,  could  be  more 
easily  stirred.  The  Necrophori  having  discovered  this 
beforehand  had  chosen  this  position,  and  their  burden 
had  to  be  removed  to  it.  There,  with  their  front  legs, 
which  supplied  the  place  of  pick  and  shovel,  they 
commenced  to  dig  the  grave,  throwing  the  earth  on 
either  side  as  they  carried  on  their  work. 

Little  by  little  the  body  was  seen  to  get  lower. 
When  it  had   descended  to  the  required  depth  the 


(Pentaiomd  ornatula). 


Necrophori  commenced  to  cover  it  with  earth.  After 
this  it  only  remained  for  them  to  wait  till  it  was  in  a 
fit  state  for  them  to  deposit  their  eggs  there. 

"Not  badly  done.  A  very  good  sort  of  funeral  for 
beings  of  that  sort,"  said  Keue".  "  But  this  is  not 
filling  our  boxes." 

And  as  he  spoke,  with  a  sudden  access  of  industry, 
he  began  with  his  beating-stick  to  beat  in  an  unmer- 
ciful manner  the  branches  of  a  young  oak-tree. 
s 


258  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

The  leaves  fell  around  as  thick  as  hail,  bringing 
down  with  them  an  abundant  supply  of  spiders, 
caterpillars,  earwigs,  and  insects  of  all  sorts,  which 
rapidly  took  to  flight  in  various  directions,  being 
fortunate  if  the  young  collector  did  not  arrest  them  in 
their  night,  and  place  them  in  his  box  as  if  in  a 
prison. 

It  is  surprising  what  a  world  may  be  found  on  an 
oak-tree;  and  each  species  and  variety  of  the  tree 
has  on  its  various  parts  its  special  guests,  to  give  the 
list  of  whose  names  would,  however,  carry  us  too  far. 
But  in  the  first  place  there  is  the  numerous  host  of 
beetles  or  Coleoptera ;  the  stag-beetles  whose  larvae 
live  in  the  old  wood  of  large  trees  ;  and  the  Anobia ; 
also  Orchestes,  which,  less  ambitious,  contents  itself 
with  the  twigs  and  leaves ;  Balaninus  glandium,  to 
which  the  acorns  serve  as  food  and  abode ;  some 
Chrysomelidae,  that  attack  the  young  shoots ;  while 
nearer  to  the  ground  and  on  the  underwood,  Silphse 
and  Calosomatae  carry  on  a  war  of  extermination 
against  the  processionary  caterpillars. 

In  the  world  of  Lepidoptera  the  frequenters  of  the 
oak  may  be  said  to  be  legion.  Many  amongst  them 
are  so  intimately  connected  with  this  tree,  and  belong 
so  entirely  to  it,  as  to  receive  their  names  from  it : 
Thecla  quercus,  Botnbyx  quercus,  Tortrix  qucrcus,  and 
others. 

But  of  all  these  denizens  the  most  surprising  in  its 


KY  MOTH  AND  ITS  LAKV^i,  THE  LATTER  ATTACKED  BY  A 

ri/E,  Calosoiiui   xi/<-»j//t/!>it(t,  AND  ITS  LAEVA. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  261 

way  of  working  is  without  doubt  the  Cynips,  although 
it  is  little  known  to  the  ordinary  observer.  This 
Hymenopteron  is  completely  associated  with  the  tree, 
and  locates  itself  thereon  at  a  fixed  spot  that  it  has 
itself  selected,  and  there  causes  a  habitation  to  grow 
up  in  which  it  establishes  its  posterity.  You  have 
no  doubt  often  noticed  on  the  leaves,  along  the  ribs, 
or  at  the  base  of  the  stalk,  some  peculiar  objects, 
some  fleshy  excrescences,  that  resemble  aborted  apples. 
These  are  the  productions  of  the  Cynips  or  gall-fly. 
Its  piercing  apparatus,  by  penetrating  into  the  plant, 
sets  up  some  peculiar  affluence  of  sap,  and  thus  is 
formed  an  excrescence  that  gradually  increases  in 
size.  In  this  the  offspring  is  produced,  and  hidden  in 
it,  after  the  manner  of  La  Fontaine's  rat  retired  from 
the  world  in  the  cheese,  it  grows  up  to  its  full  size  as 
a  grub  or  maggot,  and  comes  out  in  the  winged  form 
to  carry  on  the  continuance  of  the  species. 

It  is  to  a  Cynips  of  an  oak  of  the  forests  of  the 
East,  the  Quercus  infectoria,  that  we  owe  the  gall-nuts 
whose  use  is  so  widely  diffused  by  commerce,  and 
which  form  one  of  the  ingredients  of  writing  ink  ;  so 
that  large  numbers  of  people  devote  their  industry  to, 
and  obtain  the  means  of  existence  from,  this  tiny 
creature.  And,  wonderful  fact !  this  pigmy  living  on 
a  giant  tree  has  its  own  pigmies  devoted  to  it ;  this 
guest  is  itself  the  host  of  parasites.  The  little  habita- 
tion of  the  Cynips  frequently  gives  shelter  to  a  num- 


262  TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


ber  of  tiny  Chalcidiens,  insects  so  small  that  many  of 
them  can  scarcely  be  perceived,  and  these  devour  the 
Cynips,  having  discovered  some  means  of  entering 


CYNIPS,  AXD    GALL-XUT8,  OE    OAK-APPLES. 

its  abode  and  of  there  depositing  their  eggs.  Some 
of  these  tiny  parasites  live  within  the  bodies,  or  even 
in  the  eggs,  of  other  insects.  And  it  is  indeed  possible 


STAG-BEETLE  (LuC(lHUS  CCmts)  :     LAEVA,  PtJPA,  AXD    MALE 
THE   PEEFECT    INSECT. 


ID    FEMALE    OF 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  265 

that  this  is  not  the  last  of  the  parasitism  :  these 
Chalcidiens  may  be  themselves  attacked  by  other  still 
more  minute  insects  !  Each  creature  is  a  means  of 
livelihood  to  others,  and  the  smallest  is  a  microcosm, 
quite  a  universe  in  miniature. 

Such  were  the  meditations  that  Dr.  Boberral  for  a 
while  abandoned  himself  to.  All  at  once  he  seemed 
to  awake  from  his  dream  :  "  Come,"  said  he,  "  this  is 
strange  sort  of  speculation  for  a  doctor !  But  we 
must  attribute  it  to  the  oak-tree  itself,  the  weird 
tree  with  which  the  Greeks  and  Druids  long,  long 
before  my  time  associated  their  mythical  conceptions. 
My  nephew,  better  advised,  contents  himself  with 
utilising  it  as  a  means  for  obtaining  the  objects  of  his 
naturalist's  desire." 

Just  then  Franceschini,  thinking  it  time  to  satisfy 
the  ardour  of  the  young  man,  invited  him  to  come  on 
a  little  farther. 

"  Come  along,"  said  he,  with  a  mysterious  smile, 
"  my  insect  park  is  only  a  few  steps  from  here,  and 
without  taking  so  much  trouble  as  this  we  shall  find 
many  more  there.  Come  !  " 

An  insect  park !  What  could  he  mean  by  that  ? 
Neither  Kene*,  Le'on,  nor  the  doctor  himself  could 
guess ;  but  they  started  oif  with  fresh  enthusiasm,  and 
soon  reached  a  clearing.  In  the  middle  of  it  might 
still  be  seen  the  remains  of  a  wooden  hut,  erected 
there  by  a  workman  some  years  before  as  a  temporary 


266  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

shelter  during  the  period  of  summer.  The  grass  and 
moss  were  now  regaining  the  ground  from  which 
they  had  been  banished  for  awhile,  and  were  reappear- 
ing on  the  trodden  soil  that  had  formed  the  floor  of 
the  habitation.  Outside  the  ruined  hut  were  some 
disconnected  boards,  covered  with  moss ;  formerly 
they  had  probably  formed  part  of  the  door  of  the 
cabin  but  were  now  overthrown  and  scattered  hither 
and  thither. 

"  This  is  my  park,"  said  the  keeper  ;  "  and  it  is  here 
that  I  have  placed  my  baits :  some  earthworms,  some 
portions  of  snails,  and  a  spoonful  or  two  of  molasses 
spread  on  the  boards.  We  shall  see  if  my  devices 
have  proved  successful." 

The  planks  were  turned  over,  and  a  crowd  of  insects 
of  several  kinds  were  immediately  discovered — ants, 
Carabidse  with  brilliant  armour,  and  sunshine  beetles, 
or  Amaraee.  It  was  a  sort  of  miniature  Noah's  ark  ; 
each  kind  had  attracted  others.  In  the  same  way  as, 
on  the  foliage  they  consume,  caterpillars  are  pursued 
by  their  ferocious  enemies,  the  Calosomata,  the  Feroniee, 
the  tiger- beetles,  so  the  woodlice  and  little  snails 
that  had  come  there  in  the  hope  of  quietly  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  the  freshness  of  evening,  had  not  failed 
to  attract  the  unwelcome  visits  of  Procrustes,  SilphaB, 
and  Staphylinidse.  The  arrival  of  our  friends  produced 
a  general  stampede  among  both  the  slaughterers  and 
their  victims. 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


267 


Le'on  had  scarcely  ever  before  met  with  so  grand  a 
chance.     The  boxes  and  receptacles  at  once  began  to 


CARNIVOBOUS 


ABOVE,  Calosoma  sycophanta  ;    TO  THE  EIGHT,  Carabtis  -auratus  AND 
LAKVA;    BELOW,   Carabm  purpurascens. 


fill.  By  this  one  stroke  his  modest  collection  of  insects 
would  be  increased  by  many  specimens,  perhaps  by 
some  of  fresh  sorts.  And  he  collected  and  collected, 


268  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

almost  by  handfuls,  without  discrimination,  without 
remorse.  At  last,  wearied  of  the  slaughter,  the  boxes 
were  put  away,  and  our  four  friends  prepared  to  con- 
tinue their  ramble. 

"  Shall  we  not  take  this  one  ?  "  said  Bene*,  pointing 
with  his  finger  to  a  superb  granulated  Carabus. 

"  It  is  no  good ;  we  have  already  ten  or  a  dozen  of 
it,  and  it  is  a  useful  insect.  We  shall  acclimatise  some 
of  his  brethren  in  our  garden  at  the  cottage,  and  as 
for  this  one  we  may  leave  it  in  peace." 

But  fate  had  decided  otherwise.  A  great  Staphy- 
linus  concealed  behind  a  root  suddenly  made  a  sortie 
from  its  ambush  and  bore  down  on  the  unhappy  carabe. 
With  a  stroke  of  its  mandibles  the  insect  was  almost 
decapitated.  All  this  was  done  in  less  time  than  it 
takes  to  tell  it ;  a  flash  of  lightning  would  have  been 
almost  sufficient  to  have,  illuminated  the  transactions 
of  this  little  tragedy. 

"But  you,  my  good  fellow,  you  shall  perish  miser- 
ably." And  stooping  down  Bene"  seized  the  Staphy- 
linus,  and  unflinchingly  detained  it,  notwithstanding 
the  disagreeable  odour  of  nitrous  ether  that  the  insect 
spread  around  it — an  odour  which  has  procured  for  it 
the  name  of  Ocypus  olens. 

As  the  Parisian  was  on  the  point  of  shutting  it  up 
with  the  others — 

"Mind  what  you  are  about,"  said  the  doctor; 
"  before  night  all  our  captives  will  be  massacred  and 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  269 

torn  to  pieces.  Here  is  a  tube  containing  already  a 
male  Ocypus  ;  yours  is,  I  think,  a  female  :  it  will  be 
better  to  keep  them  by  themselves." 

He  offered  the  tube  to  Kene",  who  hastened  to  avail 
himself  of  the  good  advice,  humming  a  well-known 
song— 

"  H  faut  des  epoux  assortis, 
Dans  les  liens  du  mariage."* 

"  You  see  my  plan  is  a  very  simple  one,"  said  the 
keeper,  who,  however,  was  none  the  less  proud  of  the 
find.  "  Lepidoptera  may  be  captured  by  a  similar 
method.  You  place  on  the  trunks  of  the  trees  a 
mixture  of  sugar  or  molasses  with  some  beer,  and 
these  gay  ones  come  and  cannot  forsake  it.  You 
know  the  proverb  that  says  you  may  capture  more  flies 
with  a  drop  of  honey  than  with  a  pint  of  vinegar." 

;<Yes,"  the  doctor  laughingly  replied.  "And 
evidently  Saint  Francis  of  Sales,  to  whom  the  author- 
ship is  attributed,  might  have  become  an  eminent 
entomologist  if  he  had  not  been  a  great  saint." 

They  returned  through  the  marshes  that  exist  on 
either  side  of  the  river  Touques.  In  a  creek  a  bird, 
called  the  little  grebe,  was  sporting  about.  The 
moment  it  saw  our  friends  it  dived  and  disappeared. 

"  Can  it  be  drowned  ? "  said   Eene",  who  after  two 

*  Spouses  should  be  well  assorted 
For  the  bonds  of  holy  wedlock. 


270 


THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


minutes  of  waiting  was  surprised  that  it  did  not  rise 
to  the  surface.  There  was,  however,  not  the  least 
need  for  anxiety  on  this  point :  the  grebe  was  simply 


TIGEE-BEETLE8. 

1,  Cicinrfela  campeslris  ;    2,  Cteindela  sytratica. 


concealed  under  some  foliage.  Its  body  was  entirely 
covered  by  water,  with  the  exception  only  of  the  beak, 
at  the  extremity  of  which  the  nostrils  are  placed, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


271 


and  it  rested  quietly  in  this  position  concealed  entirely 
from  the  eye,  and  would  indeed  have  remained  so  for 
hours  had  it  been  necessary. 

"  The  grebe  is  a  very  strange  creature.  Can  you 
guess  what  plan  it  has  invented  to  save  itself  the 
trouble  of  hatching  its  eggs  ?  It  builds  its  nest  at  the 


LE  (Ocypus  olc/tit). 


surface  of  the  water  with  green  leaves  and  vegetables, 
being  apparently  aware  that  this  material  in  the  pro- 
cess of  fermentation  will  develop  sufficient  heat  to 
enable  the  bird  to  dispense,  at  any  rate  to  some  extent, 
with  the  process  of  incubation. 

"  Better  still !    As  this  fermentation  could  not  be  pro- 
duced without  a  disengagement  of  deleterious  gases, 


2-12  THE  WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

that  might  be  sufficient  to  kill  the  young  grebe  in 
the  egg,  it  is  necessary,  while  utilising  the  heat,  to 
neutralise  the  effect  of  the  gases.  The  grebe  is  not 
nonplussed  by  such  a  trifle,  and  the  nest  is  accord- 
ingly constructed  and  ballasted  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  eggs  are  partly  in  the  water,  and  by  this 
the  gases  are  dissolved  or  absorbed  as  fast  as  they  are 
formed.* 

It  must  be  admitted  that  a  graduate  of  one  of  our 
technical  colleges  could  not  have  solved  the  problem 
(which,  as  has  been  seen,  is  not  without  its  difficul- 
ties) proposed  by  nature  to  the  grebe  in  a  happier 
manner. 

The  time  for  departure  had  now  come,  so  with 
some  regret  they  entered  the  keeper's  lodge,  then  put 
to  the  horse,  and  at  last  departed,  only,  however, 
after  Franceschini  had  filled  the  vacant  places  of  the 
vehicle  with  a  whole  assortment  of  birds  carefully 
stowed  away. 

Just  as  they  were  reaching  their  own  cottage — 

"I  have  a  proposal  to  make  to  you,"  said  Uncle 
Bob,  "  an  excursion  of  two  days." 

The  idea  was  at  once  approved  of. 

"  Then,  if  you  please,  you  must  get  everything  in 
readiness  to-night.  To-morrow  morning  we  embark 


*  Paul  Xoel.  "Feuille  des  jeunes  Naturalists,"  No.  116.  (But  it  is 
probable  that  in  the  construction  of  this  theory  imagination  has  taken  too 
large  a  part. — Translator.} 


TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  273 

for  our  first  voyage  on  board  of  Father  Lucas's  new 
vessel." 

"  And  where  shall  we  go  to  ?  " 

"  To  Etretat." 

"  Unanimously  accepted,"  said  Kene*.  "  After  insects 
we  go  back  to  fishes ;  after  the  forest,  the  ocean  !  " 

Then  his  restless  and  impulsive  mind  bringing  him 
back  all  at  once  to  the  events  of  the  day  :  "  By-the-by, 
and  what  about  my  own  particular  collecting  to-day, 
that  concluded  with  a  wedding  in  a  bottle  ?  Let  us 


see  what  has  become  of  my  establishment  of  a  pair  of 
Staphylinus." 

Saying  this  he  took  out  the  tube.     A  sad  spectacle 
presented  itself  to  his  eyes. 

Of  the  male,  more  than  three  parts  were  devoured ; 
there  remained  but  little  more  than  the  hard  wing- 
cases.  The  unfortunate  creature  must,  however, 
have  fought  bravely  for  his  life  ;  and  the  female  in 
the  struggle  had  two  legs  torn  off,  and  was  resting, 
nearly  motionless,  at  the  bottom  of  the  tube. 
T 


274  TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

"Come,  then,  this  is  good,"  said  the  Parisian; 
"  another  conjugal  drama."  And  then,  in  a  tone  of 
bitter  reproach  :  "  For  shame,  wretch.  What  an  ex- 
ample to  set  to  youth  !  An  infamous  creature,  that 
has  crunched  up  her  husband  !  " 


XX. 

On  board  the  cutter  A  Ibatross — At  sea — Medusae— Rene  is  again  a  "martyr 
of  science  "  —  Physalia — An  old  tale  by  Father  Lucas — A  sailor's  fancy 
that  cost  its  author  dear — Phosphorescence  of  the  sea — How  the  Medusae 
grow — Alternation  of  generations—  Arrival  at  Etretat. 

"  AEE  you  all  there  ?  One,  two,  three !  Courage,  boys, 
courage  !  "  And  Father  Lucas,  with  the  help  of  five 
powerful  sailors,  pushed  into  the  sea  the  bark  that, 
drawn  up  on  the  sand,  had  awaited  the  rise  of  the 
tide.  A  blue  pennant  hung  at  the  top  of  the  mast, 
and  a  large  tricolour  flag,  quite  new,  fluttered  from 
the  boom. 

Their  provisions,  luggage,  and  some  lifebelts  (it  is 
well  to  foresee  everything  when  about  to  trust  oneself 
to  the  ocean)  had  been  sent  down  beforehand. 

After  them  the  three  voyagers  arrived.  The  young 
men  boldly  entered  in  the  water  half-way  up  their  legs 
in  order  to  get  on  board  the  vessel.  As  for  Uncle  Bob, 
he  was  obliged  to  resign  himself  to  being  carried  by  a 
sturdy  sailor,  by  the  aid  of  whose  shoulders  he  gained 
the  deck  of  the  cutter. 

u  Is  all  ready  ?  "  said  Father  Lucas  ;  "  then  we  will 
start." 


276  THE   WALKS  ABROAD  OF 

All  the  sails  were  run  up;  the  Albatross  gently 
yielded  to  the  wind.  The  old  sailor,  with  bent  back 
but  attentive  eye,  took  in  one  hand  the  rope  of  the 
sheets,  in  the  other  the  tiller.  Then  one  after  the 
other,  sailors,  beach,  the  houses  of  Villers,  began  to 
disappear,  while  afar  off  Cape  Antifer  vaguely  dis- 
played its  huge  white  outlines. 

When  they  were  fully  out  at  sea,  "You  are  not 
sick,"  said  Uncle  Bob  to  his  nephew. 

"  Sick !  How  could  anyone  be  so  in  such  weather  ? 
besides,  I  have  not  time  to  feel  ill.  There  is  too  much 
to  see,  and  I  am  enjoying  it  all  too  much." 

And  indeed  they  had  a  magnificent  panorama 
before  their  eyes.  The  Albatross  was  now  traversing 
the  great  roadstead  of  Havre.  A  whole  flotilla  of 
vessels,  with  their  furnaces  half  extinguished,  or  sails 
half  clewed  up,  were  at  anchor  quietly  waiting  until 
the  tide  was  sufficiently  full  to  permit  them  to  enter 
the  port,  something  after  the  fashion  of  wearied 
travellers,  who  with  faces  turned  towards  the  desired 
goal  enjoy  a  moment  of  repose  before  completing  the 
last  stage  of  their  journey. 

Here  and  there  were  to  be  seen  pilot  boats,  whose 
full -spread  sail  appeared  on  the  sky  almost  like  a 
bird  on  the  wing ;  large  heavy  fishing -boats,  hauling 
their  nets,  and  whose  stem,  painted  red,  was  reflected 
on  the  trembling  surface  of  the  deep.  On  the  right, 
lighted  up  by  the  rosy  rays  of  the  sun,  appeared  the 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 


277 


town  with  its  crowd  of  roofs  and  its  forest  of  masts  ; 
to  the  left  was  the  horizon,  heaven  and  ocean  united, 
and  forming  between  the  coast  of  Calvados  and  Cape 
Antifer  a  quarter  of  an  immense  circle. 

Leon  had  placed  himself  in  the  fore  part  of  the 
vessel,  and  without  speaking  he  remained  there  as  if 
fascinated,  seated  and  leaning  on  his  elbow,  fully 
occupied  with  gazing. 

Eene  with  much  curiosity  noticed  the  Medusae, 
through  whole  shoals  of  which  the  vessel  occasionally 
passed.  Carried  about  at  the  mercy  of  the  currents, 
they  were  displayed  in  the  water  like  globes  of  opal 
surrounded  by  a  circle  of  amethyst. 

"What  strange  creatures!"  he  suddenly  said  to 
the  doctor.  "  In  vain  I  have  looked  quite  through 
them,  but  I  see  no  stomach,  nor  anything  else.  Have 
they,  then,  no  internal  organs  ?  " 

"It  is  rather  because  their  organs  are  also  trans- 
parent," said  Uncle  Bob.  "  If  you  were  to  place  a 
Medusa,  for  a  few  hours  only,  in  a  coloured  liquid, 
such  as  a  solution  of  carmine,  you  would  afterwards 
be  able  to  study  all  the  details  of  its  structure  with 
facility." 

Eene  considered  it  a  point  of  duty  to  put  himself 
in  a  position  to  make  the  experiment,  so,  taking  up  a 
net  that  was  at  hand,  he  captured  a  Medusa  and 
flung  it  on  the  deck. 

Now  that  it  was  out  of  the  water  it  appeared  to  be 


278  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

nothing  but  a  gelatinous  and  shapeless  mass.  Never- 
theless the  budding  naturalist  without  hesitating  took 
hold  of  it. 

"  Oh !  and  three  times  oh ! "  he  cried,  quickly 
withdrawing  his  hand  from  contact  with  the  jelly- 
fish. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Le'on,  whom  this 
cry  had  roused  from  his  reverie. 

"  The  matter  is  that  I  have  taken  hold  of  a  handful 
of  nettles.  The  ink  of  the  Sepia,  the  prick  of  the 
'  crazy-fish,'  the  sting  of  the  jelly-fish — I  think  I 
have  had  my  share  of  these  things.  When  we  have 
got  to  ten  we  must  chalk  it  up.  Villainous  creature ! 
horrible  and  disgusting  beast !  "  he  added  while  vigor- 
ously rubbing  his  hand. 

"  That  is  nothing,"  said  Father  Lucas,  "  who  had 
not  thought  it  necessary  to  quit  the  tiller.  Why,  I 
have  seen  in  the  tropics  many  other  kinds,  including 
the  Physaliae,  great  Medusae  something  like  bladders 
— galleys,  as  the  sailors  call  them." 

"Perhaps  you  mean  the  Physophora  hydrostatica?" 
said  the  doctor. 

"Yes,  indeed;  that  was,  I  think,  the  name  the 
officers  gave  them.  The  bladder  is  surmounted  by  a 
sort  of  crest,  which  serves  as  a  sail  to  the  jelly-fish. 
Below  are  large  twisted  arms  like  corkscrews ;  you 
can  see  that  from  as  far  off  as  this. 

"  The  first  time  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  these 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  279 

beasts  was  on  board  of  the  Diana,  a  corvette  bound 
to  the  Gaboon.  The  major  had  about  a  dozen  of 
them  placed  in  a  large  tub  and  covered  up  with  a 
tarpaulin,  intending  to  study  them. 

"It  was  very  hot;  not  a  heat  like  this,  but  like 
what  one  feels  only  in  the  tropics,  and  that  very  likely 
you  will  never  feel.  The  douches  that  the  sailors 
gave  to  one  another,  the  frequent  washings  of  the 
deck,  sometimes  repeated  as  often  as  six  times  a 
day,  nothing  was  any  good  !  We  were  stewing,  my 
children — were  stewing  as  if  Old  Nick  had  cast  us  all 
into  his  stevvpan." 

The  old  sailor  here  paused  for  a  minute,  and  passed 
his  hand  over  his  brow,  as  if  to  drive  away  a  painful  , 
reminiscence,  and  then  continued  his  narrative. 

"  We  had  thought  of  taking  a  dip  overboard,  and 
being  towed  by  a  rope ;  but  there  were  a  lot  of  those 
miserable  sharks.  They  caught  every  morsel  thrown 
overboard  before  it  reached  the  water ;  but  this  was 
not  sufficient  to  prevent  them  from  grinning  and 
showing  us  their  teeth  in  a  most  villainous  fashion. 
It  may  be  a  fine  thing  to  be  a  sailor,  but  one  does  not 
care  to  have  such  fellows  for  neighbours.  So  all 
through  the  day  I  looked  with  the  corner  of  my  eye 
at  the  major's  tub,  and  thought  how  much  I  should 
like  to  take  a  bath  in  it  The  clear  water  tempted  me 
too  strongly. 

"Well,  when  the  night  comes,  I  get  up,  I  proceed 


28o 


THE    \YALKS  ABROAD    OF 


very  gently,  and  there  I  am  in  my  tub.  No  !  by  Jove, 
only  to  think  of  it  again  makes  me  sting  all  over — a 
regular  fine  bath,  a  dish  of  stinging  nettles.  I  got 
out,  I  never  yet  know  how,  covered  with  pimples 
from  head  to  feet.  I  had  three  days  of  it  without 
being  able  to  stir.  The  jelly-fish  next  day  were 
found  smashed  to  jelly.  Fortunately  it  was  supposed 


JELLY-FISH  (Rhizostoma  caerulea). 

that  the  heat  had  caused  them  to  die  of  apoplexy. 
If  the  major  had  known  of  the  adventure  he  would 
never  have  forgiven  me. 

"  This  major  was  a  learned  man,  but  he  had  some 
very  queer  notions.  He  used  to  say  (you  will  know 
if  it  is  right)  that  it  is  the  jelly-fish  that  make  the  sea 
phosphorescent." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  281 

"  The  major  was  right.  The  phosphorescence  of 
the  sea  is  really  due  to  myriads  of  minute  Medusae. 
They  are  altogether  singular  animals,  and  many  of 
them  undergo  very  strange  metamorphoses." 
-  "  Tell  us  about  it,  Uncle  Bob,"  said  Kene,  throw- 
ing overboard  with  his  foot  the  jelly-fish,  which  again 
commenced  swimming  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

"  Thus.  The  Medusa  commences  by  producing  an 
egg.  From  this  egg  issues,  not  a  Medusa,  but  a  sort 
of  infusorian,  furnished  with  vibratile  ciliae,  which  for 
some  time  leads  a  free  life  by  rotating,  but  finishes 
by  attaching  itself  to  some  object  under  the  water. 
There  it  grows,  branches  out,  and  becomes  a  polype. 
'  "  Then  new  changes  take  place  and  contractions 
are  formed,  so  that  the  creature  becomes  like  a  series 
of  superposed  discs.  It  breaks  up,  the  discs  become 
detached,  and  each  forms  a  jelly-fish,  which  grows  and 
later  on  produces  eggs,  and  so  the  round  is  continued 
— Medusae  and  polypes,  one  after  the  other.  The 
series  of  transformations  goes  on  in  these  lower  beings 
in  such  a  way  that  the  children  are  always  dissimilar 
from  their  parents,  but  resemble  a  generation  of  beings 
that  preceded  these." 

They  were  approaching  Etretat.  The  bark  was 
coasting  beneath  huge  cliffs  of  chalk,  mighty  deposits 
left  by  the  seas  of  far  distant  geological  epochs,  and 
that  now  rear  themselves  like  colossal  walls  opposed 
to  the  immensity  of  ocean. 


282  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

By  degrees  as  they  advanced  the  cliffs  became 
more  broken  up.  Soon  the  Needle  appeared,  and 
then  the  Cradle.  These  rocks  stand  there  like  the 
last  vestiges  of  some  cyclopean  architecture.  After 
these  the  beach  again,  with  bathing  machines,  cap- 
stans planted  in  the  shingle,  and  the  tarred  boats 
which,  when  they  are  no  longer  sound  enough  to 
encounter  the  perils  of  the  ocean,  they  make  use  of 
for  small  shops.  They  had  arrived. 

While  Uncle  Bob,  like  a  thoughtful  provider,  went 
to  prepare  a  domicile  for  the  little  party,  and  Lucas 
was  occupied  with  the  boat,  the  young  men  went  and 
took  a  glance  at  the  great  rocks  that  the  ebbing  tide 
was  beginning  to  disclose. 


XXI. 

Villers  and  Etretat — The  cliffs  of  Normandy — The  power  of  a  drop  of  water 
— How  shingle  beaches  are  formed — A  "  water-cat " — "Way  of  getting 
rid  of  an  Octopus  —Every  nook  occupied  —The  population  of  a  rock — 
A  new  fauna — The  various  zones  of  the  tidal  region. 

THE  distance  separating  the  sands  of  Villers  from  the 
beach  of  Etretat  is  scarcely  more  than  ten  or  a  dozen 
leagues.  It  would,  however,  be  difficult  to  imagine  a 
greater  contrast  than  exists  between  these  two  water- 
ing-places. 

Villers,  stretching  out  along  an  immense  carpet  of 
fine  sand,  extends  eastwards  almost  indefinitely,  and 
appears,  with  its  villas  arranged  one  after  the  other, 
like  forlorn  sentinels  by  the  roadside,  to  offer  its 
hand  to  Deauville,  which  begins  a  league  farther  on. 
To  the  west,  the  suburban  houses  are  placed  one 
higher  than  the  other  on  the  gentle  declivity  of  a  cliff 
of  brown  clay,  the  upper  part  of  which  is  broken  and 
interrupted. 

Etretat  on  the  contrary,  compressed  between  the 
grasp  of  its  two  great  cliffs,  has  its  limits  on  each  side 


284  TWO   YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

marked  out  for  ever.  Huge  strata  of  chalk  three  or 
four  hundred  feet  in  height,  almost  as  massive  and 
imposing  as  granite,  defy  the  efforts  of  man.  Air 
and  water  are  their  only  masters.  The  air,  weathering 
them,  disintegrates  the  rock,  and  scatters  afar  the 
dust  it  has  rubbed  from  the  great  mass ;  the  water, 
filtering  into  the  almost  imperceptible  fissures  of  the 
rock,  dissolves  it,  and  the  nearly  invisible  moisture 
works  more  effectually  than  either  powder  or  dyna- 
mite. 

As  the  result,  enormous  blocks  are  detached  and  fall 
like  monstrous  projectiles  on  the  crushed  shingle. 
There  the  sea  takes  possession  of  them  and  completes 
the  work.  The  chalk  is  dissolved  away,  and  the 
insoluble  silex,  pounded,  broken,  crumbled,  and  worn 
in  every  way,  forms  the  shingle  that  the  sea  rolls 
with  a  monotonous  thunder  as  far  as  the  mouth  of 
the  Seine. 

Two  shores  so  different  as  Villers  and  Etretat  could 
not  be  inhabited  by  the  same  creatures.  At  Villers 
delicate  animals  are  able  to  repose  on  the  sand,  as  if 
on  a  soft  cushion.  To  Etretat  belong  the  solid  and 
hardy  species  that  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  shock 
of  the  waves,  and  who  find  a  sheltering-place  in  the 
hard  rocks. 

"  A  water-cat !  "  * 

*  "Chatrouille,"  a  local  slang  name  for  which  the  Translator  has  been 
obliged  to  invent  an  equi%-alcnt. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  287 

"  Turn  his  bonnet !  " 

These  two  almost  simultaneous  exclamations  were 
uttered  by  two  children,  two  young  natives,  who 
were  engaged  in  seeking  for  crabs,  by  turning  over 
the  large  stones  covered  with  seaweed. 

""Water-cat?  turn  his  bonnet?"  repeated  Rene. 
"  What  the  deuce  can  they  be  talking  about  ?  " 

He  went  nearer,  and  one  of  the  children — he 
who  had  first  cried  out — raising  himself  up,  waved 


LIMPET  (Patella  vulgata,  Lamarck). 

an  enormous  Octopus  in  the  air  in  a  triumphant 
manner. 

"  Wasn't  long  over  it,  eh  ? "  said  he  to  Rene, 
showing  him  his  capture.  "  Directly  you  find  your- 
self caught  by  a  water-cat,  you  must  catch  hold  of 
his  head  and  turn  him  inside  out  like  a  bag.  Will 
you  buy  this  one,  sir  ? "  added  the  young  Norman, 
without  stopping. 

"No  indeed,  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,"  said 
Rene,  looking  with  disgust  at  the  hideous  beast, 
whose  arms,  furnished  with  innumerable  suckers, 
hung  down  in  a  flabby  style.  "  What  should  you 
expect  me  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"Booh!    Have  it  cooked  and  eat  it,"  replied  the 


288  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

child,  apparently  very  much  astonished  that  anyone 
should  be  in  doubt  about  so  simple  a  matter. 

Then  seeing  he  was  not  able  to  make  a  good  thing 
out  of  it,  he  placed  the  monster  in  his  basket  and 
went  off. 

"  It  is  a  fortunate  circumstance,"  said  Leon,  "  that 
the  gigantic  cuttle-fish,  if  they  really  exist,  are  so 
well-mannered  as  never  to  let  themselves  be  seen. 
A  mere  dozen  of  poulpes  like  that  described  by  Victor 


SEA -SNAIL  (Purptira  lapiHut,,  Lamarck). 

Hugo  in  the  '  Travailleurs  de  la  Mer,'  would  render  a 
seaside  place  quite  uninhabitable  !  " 

While  speaking,  the  young  naturalist  by  his  own 
example  gave  the  signal  for  exploration.  Close  at 
hand  there  began  a  heap  of  large  rocks,  still  wet  with 
the  salt  water,  veritable  dwelling-houses  for  marine 
animals,  and  covered  by  a  thick  mantle  of  green  sea- 
weed and  shells  of  various  sorts. 

In  such  a  spot  no  room  is  wasted.  On  the  surface 
are  mussels  attached  firmly  by  their  byssus ;  limpets 
with  conical  shells,  who  manage  to  clin£  to  the  rock, 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  289 

by  creating  a  vacuum  beneath  them  ;  acorn  shells, 
that  appear  on  the  rock  as  little  white  projections, 
very  hard  and  sharp,  all  these  being  species  that 
have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  shocks  of  the  waves. 
In  the  crevices,  and  in  the  minute  hollows  where 
protected  from  the  surf,  periwinkles  and  dog  peri- 
winkles (PurpuraB),  deposit  their  eggs ;  while  still 
more  in  the  interior,  some  in  the  very  heart  of  the 
rock,  the  numerous  group  of  the  corroders  of  the 
stone,  the  piddock,  the  Saxicavse,  the  Yenerupis,  carry 
on  without  any  relaxation  their  incessant  though 
unseen  task  of  destruction. 

If  the  ear  be  applied  to  the  rock,  a  noise  arising 
from  their  unceasing  action  may  be  heard,  a  strange 
sound,  almost  defying  description,  caused  by  the 
energy  of  vital  action  within  the  interior  of  the  life- 
less rock. 

Farther  off,  at  the  limit  of  low  water,  commences  a 
zone  in  which  the  action  of  the  sun's  rays  is  less 
powerful,  and  here  the  agreeable  and  lively  green 
tints  are  replaced  by  more  sombre  shades  of  bistre- 
brown  and  olive. 

Between  the  great  brown  stalks  and  the  interlaced 
leaves  of  Laminaria,  there  is  also  a  considerable  popu- 
lation, of  a  quite  different  character.  This  is  a  lurk- 
ing-place for  certain  molluscs  without  shells,  the 
species  of  Doris  and  Tritonia,  designated  by  the  fishers 
under  the  common  name  of  sea-slugs.  As  well  as 

u 


2 go  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

Aplysia,  whose  respiratory  organs  are  placed  on  the 
middle  of  the  back,  and  which  secretes  a  violet 
ink. 

This  zone  is  prolonged  seawards  for  a  considerable 
distance  ;  beyond  it  is  the  abyss.  This  is  inaccessible 
and  unknown,  no  human  eye  having  yet  examined  its 
depths. 


XXII. 

The  return  from  Etretat — Inventory — A  serious  culprit — The  worst  foe  of 
the  Dutchman — A  selfish  rascal — The  sponges  of  the  Channel — Homeric 
combat  between  a  negro  and  a  sponge—  Clams — A  Chinaman  in  a  shell 
— Signs  of  bad  weather — A  recollection  of  some  martyrs  of  duty — Old 
mariner  and  true  sailors. 


AFTER  an  excursion  of  two  days,  conscientiously 
devoted  to  the  examination  of  Etretat  and  the  neigh- 
bourhood— the  Manhole,  the  Cauldron,  the  Needles, 
as  well  as  the  great  springs  at  Bruneval — they  com- 
menced their  homeward  journey  on  hoard  of  the 
Albatross.  With  one  of  those  sudden  changes  so 
frequent  on  the  coasts  of  the  Channel,  the  wind  now 
blew  from  N.E.  to  S.W.,  bringing  with  it  great  banks 
of  clouds.  The  surface  of  the  water,  slightly  agitated 
by  a  swell,  receiving  no  longer  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
had  become  of  a  more  glaucous  colour.  Sky  overcast, 
breeze  slight,  as  the  sailors  say. 

However,  old  Lucas  when  he  was  consulted,  had 
not  any  hesitation  in  giving  the  signal  for  departure. 
"  A  leading  wind  to  come  with,  and  a  leading  wind 
to  return  with  !  Why,  the  v^eather  is  made  expressly 


292  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

for  us !    With   only  half  her  sails  the  Albatross  will 
skim  along  like  an  American  cutter." 

Accordingly  they  started. 

"When  Etretat  had  disappeared  from  sight,  and  they 
were  beginning  to  follow  the  long  line  of  cliffs,  they 
went  over  the  inventory  of  the  preceding  day. 

The  doctor,  who  had  only  passed  a  few  minutes  on 
the  beach,  opened  his  botanical  box,  and  took  out  of 
it  a  large  piece  of  wood. 

"  It  is  not  for  lighting  the  fire  with,"  said  he;  "  it 
is  simply  a  sample  of  the  ravages  that  the  ship- worms ' 
are  able  to  effect.     Have  you  ever  seen  such  a  cut- 
ting-up  ?  " 

And  in  point  of  fact  this  piece  of  wood,  pierced  by 
holes  in  various  directions,  was  reduced  almost  to  the 
condition  of  a  sponge.  On  its  sides,  and  on  the  ex- 
posed parts,  the  galleries  hollowed  out  of  the  wood 
could  be  seen  lined  with  a  calcareous  layer. 

"  And  here  is  the  culprit ! "  added  Uncle  Bob, 
exhibiting  a  sort  of  worm,  half  dried  up,  and  ter- 
minated by  a  pigmy  shell.  "It  is  the  Teredo  navalis, 
an  implacable  enemy  of  maritime  constructions. 
When  piles  are  driven  in  sea- water  to  form  break- 
waters or  piers,  or  when  wooden  vessels  are  left 
stationary  for  some  time  in  port,  it  comes  boldly  and 
establishes  itself  in  them,  eating  away  atom  by  atom 
of  the  construction  by  means  of  its  shell,  as  if  with 
an  auger.  Pile  work,  made  from  the  heart  wood  of 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  295 

oak,  has  been  known  to  give  way  suddenly  after  a 
few  weeks,  being  mined  by  these  invisible  workmen. 
In  Holland,  especially  in  that  part  of  the  country  that 
is  preserved  from  the  invasion  of  the  sea  by  means  of 
dikes,  the  damage  caused  annually  by  these  molluscs 
is  very  considerable. 

"  These  other  smaller  holes,  that  you  see  at  the 
end  of  the  wood,  are  made  by  an  enemy  of  the  ship- 
worm,  which  fact,  however,  does  not  prevent  it  from 
being  equally  our  enemy.  It  is  a  crustacean,  and  the 
selfish  rascal  would  wish  to  have  the  monopoly  of 
destroying  our  artificial  marine  constructions.  It  is 
the  Limnoria  terebrans.  Our  captain  knows  it  well, 
only  he  gives  it  another  name,  calling  it,  I  believe,  the 
gribble." 

"Very  good  bait  for  fishing-lines/'  sententiously 
remarked  the  fisherman,  pulling  at  his  pipe. 

"  That  is  all  my  find,  except  a  Spongia  oculata,  one 
of  the  few  kinds  of  sponges  found  in  the  Channel,  all 
of  which,  moreover,  are  quite  small.  In  warm  seas, 
sponges,  on  the  other  hand,  sometimes  attain  enor- 
mous dimensions.  Witness  the  colossal  sponge  pre- 
served in  the  museum  at  Havre,  which  was  obtained 
about  thirty  years  ago  under  circumstances  that  are 
worthy  of  being  narrated. 

"As  they  were  disembarking  on  to  a  lighter  in 
some  port  of  Mexico — I  have  forgotten  which  one — 
some  cases  of  machinery  imported  in  a  vessel  from 


296  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 


Havre,  as  the  result  of  some  piece  of  awkward  man- 
agement one  of  these  cases  fell  into  the  sea.  A. 
squad  of  negroes  was  immediately  set  to  work  to 
recover  it.  And  it  happened  that  one  of  these 
negroes  fell,  as  if  into  a  trap,  into  the  sponge  in 
question,  which  was  just  deep  enough  and  large 
enough  to  contain  the  whole  body  of  a  man. 

"The  poor  devil,  maddened  with  fright,  thought 
himself  lost.  By  a  desperate  shock  he  succeeded  in 
detaching  the  sponge  from  its  attachment,  and  both 


PIECE    OF    WOOD    PEBFOBATED   BY    SHIP-WORMS. 

of  them  rose  to  the  surface  together,  the  man  in  the 
sponge.  This  negro-eating  sponge  is,  I  believe,  the 
largest  specimen  that  has  ever  been  secured." 

"  Now  that  we  are  talking  of  big  things,"  said 
Eene,  "  can  you  tell  me  what  are  the  largest  of  all 
the  shells?" 

"  A  species  of  Tridacna — giant  clams,  or  holy-water 
basins  as  they  are  called.  These  sometimes  attain  a 
diameter  of  three  feet.  They  are  obtained  chiefly  in 
the  Indian  Ocean." 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  297 

"  I  know  them  well  enough,"  said  old  Lucas.  "  I 
have  eaten  them  when  I  was  in  India." 

"Well?" 

"Well,  it  is  detestable.  But  there  is  one  thing 
about  them  that  you  probably  do  not  know ;  it  is  that 
in  China  they  make  use  of  these  shells,  which  we  use 
here  as  holy-water  basins,  as  troughs  for  horses. 
Indeed,  I  knew  an  old  quartermaster  who  declared 
he  had  seen  them  so  large  that  they  were  used  as  baths 
by  the  mandarins.  You  can't  believe  some  quarter- 
masters ! " 

They  were  entering  the  bay  of  the  Seine.  In  the 
north  the  sky  was  becoming  blacker  and  blacker, 
while,  by  a  curious  optical  effect,  to  the  south  the 
houses  of  Trouville  and  all  the  details  of  the  coast  of 
Calvados  were  denned  with  remarkable  clearness. 
Some  flocks  of  sea-gulls  appeared  as  white  patches 
against  the  black  sky,  and  made  with  all  possible 
rapidity  for  the  coast. 

"  We  must  make  for  Trouville  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible," said  the  captain  of  the  Albatross  ;  "  there  will 
be  a  pretty  good  hatful  of  wind  to  night." 

He  gave  a  stroke  of  the  tiller,  and  noticing  on  the 
larboard  side  of  the  vessel  the  buoys  of  Amfard,  which 
were  bobbing  about  on  the  waves,  he  lifted  his  woollen 
bonnet  by  way  of  saluting  them. 

This  gesture  did  not  escape  the  three  voyagers,  and 
in  response  to  the  unspoken  request  of  their  eyes  he 


298  THE  WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

said  :  "  A  very  sad  recollection.  About  two  years 
ago,  in  the  spring — it  was  the  26th  of  March,  I  shall 
never  forget  the  date — I  had  been  already  detained  at 
Havre  for  three  days  by  stormy  weather.  In  the 
morning  I  went  down  to  look  at  the  sea,  thinking 
how  long  it  was  likely  to  last,  and  to  see  if  the  wind 
was  not  moderating  a  bit.  Bah !  it  was  stronger  than 
ever. 

"  Then  I  saw  plainly,  down  here  near  this  buoy, 
an  English  cutter,  the  Vivid,  on  the  point  of  being 
lost. 

"  With  a  telescope  you  could  see  the  men,  who 
had  climbed  into  the  rigging  and  were  making  signals 
— well,  that  sort  of  thing,  you  know — but  then  to 
venture  out  in  such  weather ! 

"  They  could  not  be  deserted  like  that,  and  I  said 
to  myself,  '  Ah  !  if  I  were  ten  years  younger  ! '  Just 
then  I  see  the  lifeboat  going  out,  with  its  crew  of 
eleven ;  it  was  No.  4.  '  Hurrah !  boys,'  I  cry  to 
them,  '  Hurrah  ! '  But  they  were  never  seen  alive 
again. 

"Another  squad  got  under  way  in  spite  of  the 
danger,  but  it  was  all  over  with  the  first  crew. 
No.  4  had  been  manned  by  eleven  men,  and  the 
next  day  they  recovered  eleven  bodies. 

"  And  when  they  gave  them  a  magnificent  funeral, 
with  the  soldiers  and  music,  and  all  the  weeping 
(they  had  deserved  it,  poor  fellows  ! ),  I  was  there  in 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  299 

the  church  leaning  against  a  pillar,  and  I  said  to 
myself  below  my  breath  :  '  They  were  sailors,  true 
ones ! '  " 

He  was  silent  for  a  moment,  and  then  as  if  speaking 
to  himself  again,  he  muttered — 

"  True  ones  !  " 

The  three  excursionists  looked  at  him  without 
speaking,  and  while  the  cutter  skimmed  rapidly 
along,  sloping  under  her  sails,  two  big  tears  rolled, 
in  silence  down  the  wrinkled  cheeks  of  the  old 
sailor. 


XXIII. 
EPILOGUE. 

"  THERE  is  no  company  too  good  to  part,"  says  an  old 
proverb,  and  the  time  came  when  the  portmanteaus 
had  again  to  be  packed,  closed,  and  strapped  up  for 
the  return. 

"  Already  ! "  sighed  Kene*,  who  had  been  occupied 
all  the  morning  with  the  unpleasant  task. 

"  Already  !  "  repeated  mechanically  Ldon  and  the 
doctor. 

It  must  be,  however.  The  end  of  the  vacation  was 
at  hand,  and  Uncle  Bob  himself  would  only  be  able  to 
stay  a  week  longer  at  Yillers.  The  yearly  leave  that 
his  position  in  the  medical  schools  at  Paris  permits  him 
to  take  was  on  the  point  of  expiring,  and  professional 
duty  required  his  speedy  return. 

They  sat  down  to  table,  without  much  appetite,  it 
must  be  admitted,  and  at  the  very  moment  when  the 
meal  was  finished  the  door  was  opened  and  the  ser- 
vant announced— 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  301 

"  The  omnibus  for  the  railway,  sir  !  " 

Have  you  ever  noticed  the  effect  produced  by  such 
words,  when  it  has  become  necessary  to  tear  oneself 
away  from  an  agreeable  sojourn  ?  The  idea  of  depar- 
ture has  not  been  allowed  to  take  possession  of  the 
mind.  If  one  has  thought  of  it,  a  glance  of  the  eyes  at 
the  surroundings  has  assured  us  that  the  moment  of 
separation  is  not  yet  here.  But  the  clock  strikes,  and 
brings  one  to  the  stern  reality. 

"  The  omnibus  for  the  railway,  sir !  " 

The  luggage  was  again  stowed  away  on  the  omnibus, 
and  Kene",  who  a  few  weeks  before  affected  such  a 
complete  nonchalance,  and  gaily  mocked  the  scientific 
tastes  of  his  cousin,  Rene*  the  giddy  and  incredulous 
Parisian  of  the  previous  year,  returned  a  last  time  to 
the  workroom  at  the  moment  of  leaving  the  cottage  as 
if  to  say  good  bye  to  it. 

And  when,  having  said  adieu  to  Uncle  Bob,  he  was 
on  the  point  of  mounting  the  steps  of  the  carriage  that 
was  to  take  him  back  to  Paris — 

"  Thank  you  much  ! "  he  said  to  Le'on,  pressing  his 
hand  with  warmth.  u  You  have  taught  me  to  observe, 
you  have  shown  me  how  one  may  in  any  place  occupy 
and  train  the  intellect.  Again  I  thank  you." 

The  train  started,  and  the  young  man  leant  out  so 
that  he  might  get  one  more  glimpse,  through  the 
trees,  of  the  peaceful  cottage  where,  instead  of  excit- 
ing pleasures,  he  had  found  during  his  short  vacation 


302  THE   WALKS  ABROAD   OF 

the  tranquil  and  strengthening  solace  that  is  brought 
by  study. 

Then  in  turn  the  cottage  and  trees  disappeared, 
and  Bene*  ensconced  himself  in  a  corner  and  lulled 
by  the  monotonous  rumbling  of  the  train  fell  asleep. 

At  the  time  these  lines  are  written  nearly  a  year 
has  elapsed,  and  Uncle  Bob  is  again  making  his  pre- 
parations for  a  return  to  Villers.  He  will  find  some 
changes  there. 

Father  Lucas  has  gone  to  reside  at  Trouville.  He 
can  there  find  better  shelter  for  his  boat,  the  Albatross, 
and  give  it  more  attention.  For  the  greater  part  of 
the  year  he  lives  the  life  of  a  retired  man,  but  during 
the  season  of  fine  weather  excursions  to  sea  are  a 
source  of  considerable  profit  to  him. 

The  fishermen  of  Trouville  hold  him  in  great  respect, 
and  when  a  difference  of  opinion  arises  between  two 
sailors,  it  is  to  the  old  patriarch  that  appeal  is  made. 
His  decisions  are  treated  as  final. 

So  Father  Lucas  has  become  an  authority. 

Franceschini,  in  recognition  of  the  services  he  ren- 
dered as  non-commissioned  officer  in  1870,  received, 
when  he  had  ceased  to  expect  it  (possibly  Uncle  Bob 
may  have  known  of  it),  a  military  decoration.  Some- 
times, when  seated  in  the  midst  of  his  treasured  collec- 
tion, he  gazes  fixedly  at  the  brilliant  token  displayed 
on  the  wall,  and  believes  that  the  sight  is  a  sovereign 
remedy  for  rheumatism  and  attacks  of  gout,  from 
which  he  sometimes  suffers. 


TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS.  303 

Jacob,  who  when  young  was  of  so  happy  a  disposi- 
tion, has,  now  that  he  is  older,  become  an  impudent 
chatterbox  and  an  incorrigible  thief. 

Yes,  dear  readers,  I  regret  to  inform  you  that  it  is 
impossible  to  deny  that  Jacob  has  a  natural  talent  for 
theft.  Everything  that  glitters  excites  his  cupidity, 
and  only  yesterday,  by  chance  his  storehouse  was 
discovered  under  the  stairs.  Here  is  the  inventory  of 
its  contents — 

Two  thimbles. 

A  small  key. 

A  penholder. 

Two  or  three  dozen  pins. 

About  the  same  number  of  needles. 

Some  nails  and  screws. 

Two  half-franc  pieces. 

The  cover  of  a  sardine-box. 

One  majr  well  ask  what  Jacob  intended  to  do  with 
such  an  accumulation. 

And  your  two  principal  characters,  Kene*  andLe*on? 

Le"on,  a  medical  student,  has  passed  his  first  exami- 
nation with  honours ;  and  his  thoughtful  turn  of  mind, 
and  the  remarkable  grasp  of  his  intelligence,  cause  it 
to  be  prophesied  that  he  will  be  a  worthy  successor  to 
his  father. 

Kene*  is  about  in  a  few  days  to  pass  his  last  exami- 
nation as  Bachelor  of  Arts  ;  after  which  he  proposes  to 
enter  the  college  of  Saint  Cyr.  With  his  careless 


304  TWO  YOUNG  NATURALISTS. 

courage  and  his  frank  good-humour  there  is  but  little 
doubt  of  his  becoming  one  of  our  best  officers. 

There  is,  however,  a  dark  side  to  every  picture, 
and  formerly  the  prospect  of  long  days  to  be  passed 
in  garrison  in  the  provinces  dismayed  him.  But  now, 
even  should  he  have  to  pass  whole  months  in  the 
midst  of  the  marshes,  he  is  no  longer  afraid  of  ennui. 
For  this  terrible  complaint  he  knows  a  perfect  anti- 
dote :  study — the  pursuit  of  knowledge. 

Can  time  be  long  when  one  has  to  learn  ? 

Can  anyone  who  is  an  observer  weary  ? 


THE  END. 


Date  Due 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


000  688  971     1 


